Big Mistakes and What You Can Learn from Them

My new upmarket challenge How Bay Bashir is taking his successful store model to the suburbs STORE LOOKBOOK Page 6 »

RETAIL NEWS THAT MATTERS ● £2.50 ● 09.03.2018

Big mistakes and what you can learn from them

● 12 retailers share the errors that have been most valuable to their businesses ● How the industry is embracing the knowledge gained when things go wrong Page 22 »

Arjan Mehr Linda Williams Kamal Sisodia Mital Morar Londis, Bracknell, Broadway Premier, WH Smith Local, Store!, Berkshire Oxgangs, Edinburgh Coalville, Leicestershire central Manchester

GLOBAL RETAILING CUSTOMER SERVICE SYMBOL GROUPS Japanese Hero staff Fresh share battle approach success ‘beast to Select strategy from east’ & Save C-store boss Indies personal Vol 129 No 10 Symbol MD on how FOR TRADE USE ONLY attributes growth to touch aids snow- 10 Bestway supply deal understanding local swept communities and fresh will fuel demand Page 4 » across UK Page 18 » expansion Page 5 » 2 9 March 2018 RN CONTENTS Shaping the future NEXT WEEK » of independent retail since 1889 Cakes and biscuits

Editor Features editor News editor Chris Rolfe Tom Gockelen-Kozlowski Helena Drakakis @ChrisRolfeRN @TomGK_RN 020 7689 3357 020 7689 3362 020 7689 3361 9 Reporter Reporter reasons Alex Yau Priyanka Jethwa pricemarking @AlexYau_RN @priyanka_RN remains relevant 020 7689 3358 020 7689 3355 to your store Page 27

Head of design Anne-Claire Pickard 020 7689 3391

Editor in chief Account manager Marketing executive “Our supply deal with Bestway Louise Banham Jon Melson Michael Sharp 020 7689 3353 020 7689 3372 020 7689 3356 can help us make fresh and Designer Sales executives Financial controller Emma Langschied Khi Johnson Parin Gohil 020 7689 3380 020 7689 3366 020 7689 3375 food to go trends work” Production Joe Waxman Finance executive coordinator 020 7689 3363 Abi Sylvane Andrew King p5 Alex Garton Sales support 0207 689 3383 020 7689 3368 executive Finance administrator Account directors Michela Marino Anubhuti Shah George McCracken 020 7689 3382 0207 689 3397 020 7689 3364 Marketing manager Managing director HEADLINES OPINION Chris Carnevale Tom Mulready Nick Shanagher 020 7689 3389 020 7689 3352 07966 530 001 4 BREAKING NEWS 18 YOUR NEWS Japanese chain’s sales secrets Retailers get smart to minimise effect of extreme winter weather

If you do not receive your copy of RN please contact Michael Sharp 6 STORE LOOKBOOK on 020 7689 3356 or email [email protected] Bay Bashir’s Billingham Lifestyle 20 YOUR VIEWS

Printed by Southernprint, Poole, on 80gsm Galerie Fine Gloss paper Express in the spotlight Your letters, views and tweets Distributor Seymour Distribution, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT Audit Bureau of Circulations 10 SYMBOL NEWS 33 COLUMNIST July 2016 to June 2017 average net circulation per issue 12,187 ‘Feed the family’ meal deals How a snowbound retailer kept his store’s tills ringing Annual Subscription 11 UK 1 year £150 Europe £302 NEWS & MAGS 2 years £237 Rest of world £354 Trinity Mirror margins mix 3 years £333 To subscribe contact 020 7689 3384 12 PRODUCT TRENDS Launch of Low-sugar cola ‘opportunity’ Newtrade the week: 11 Angel Gate, City Road, London EC1V 2SD 13 BRAND SNAPSHOT Fun to Learn Tel 020 7689 0600 News from nine big brands email [email protected] Friends Art

RN is published by Newtrade Publishing Limited, which is wholly owned by NFRN Holdings Ltd, which is 14 WHAT’S NEW wholly owned by the Benefits Fund of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents. RN is editorially independent of the NFRN and opinions, comments and reviews included are not 11 opportunities for your store necessarily those of the Federation and no warranty for goods or services described is implied. Reproduction or transmission in part or whole of any item from RN may only be undertaken with the 16 PRICEWATCH prior written agreement of the Editor. Contributions are welcomed and are included in part or whole at the sole discretion of the editor. Benchmark your cider Page 34 Newtrade accepts no responsibility for submitted material. Every possible prices care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information. For trade use only RN 9 March 2018 3

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Mistakes, while painful, embarrassing or expensive at the time, can often be the catalyst for business growth

MY NEW VENTURE IN THE SUBURBS ichard Branson describes Virgin Cola as one of the biggest mistakes he ever Page 6 made. A brand that achieved early Rsuccess in the mid-90s when sold on Virgin’s flights, trains and cinemas, it fell flat when Branson tried to expand and topple Coca- Cola in the US. By 2004, it was history. Editor Despite the failure, Branson says he INSIGHT Chris Rolfe wouldn’t change a thing about the venture @ChrisRolfeRN because it taught him two valuable lessons. 22 WINNING MISTAKES 020 7689 3362 Firstly, Virgin had failed monumentally Learning from an error can help to understand its competition or prepare for you turn calamity to opportunity how it would react to a challenger brand. 28 PRICEMARKING Secondly, the company had entered a market where it Why this key industry strategy couldn’t offer something significantly different. “I learned is as relevant as ever today only to go into businesses where we were palpably better than all the competition,” he said. 32 INDUSTRY PROFILE Mistakes, while painful, embarrassing or expensive at the Phil Whitehead, Molson time, can often be the catalyst for business growth, so we’ve Coors’ managing director UK and Ireland, talks to chosen to explore this theme in this month’s special report. RN Twelve RN readers told our features editor Tom Gockelen- Kozlowski about the mistakes they have made with every- 32 THIS WEEK IN thing from staff, contracts and competitors to management, MAGAZINES refits and stock – and the lessons they learned as a result. Fun to Learn Friends Molson Coors MD Dean Holborn, for example, estimates he lost up to £30,000 Art launch will give on investing in craft in sales by avoiding getting a slush machine for three years. kids activities galore; He now ensures he pays attention to trends that appear fre- National Geographic to help indies’s family pack quently in the magazines he reads. capitalise If you’ve ever made a mistake, but profited through the Page 32 lessons you learned, we’d love to hear your story. But for now, I hope you enjoy the issue. 4 9 March 2018 RN BREAKING NEWS Smaller cashless rise for indies The growth in the number of convenience stores ofering contactless payment is not being matched by the rise in cashless consumer spending in shops. Figures from Barclaycard show consumer spending with contactless payments rose by 79% in 2017. Taro Kosaki, international business development But c-stores experienced manager at Japanese c-store chain Family Mart one of the lowest growth rates in terms of cashless ex- Family Mart boss meets UK retail study tour delegation ‘There is a lot to learn from Japan’ penditure, with such transactions up 46% compared to 50% and above at compar- able retailers such as supermarkets, off-trade, discount Japanese c-store chain retailers and service stations. Figures from the Associa- tion of Convenience Stores (ACS) showed the number of shares strategy secrets its member stores ofering contactless payments grew by Nick Shanagher partnering with Google and similar ready-to-eat in Japan against competi- by 71% year on year to 2017, [email protected] on using artificial intel- products that account for tion from 20,000 super- compared with just above ligence to better forecast 30% of sales. markets, the franchise 40% the previous year. Fast food and ready-to-eat demand at its busy 17,400 Using a network of 88 model’s profitability has An ACS spokesperson fresh food are driving sales shops to improve staf central kitchens and 209 helped Family Mart to said supermarket growth and profits at Japanese con- efciency, and helping re- distribution centres, it expand to seven other in usage was driven by self- venience stores, while tech tailers enter new markets delivers five times a day to Asian countries, including service checkouts ofering is increasing efciency, by selling non-core items its shops with a route to China. contactless, whereas c-store UK independent retailers such as insurance prod- market designed to guar- “There is a lot to learn transactions more often in- heard from c-store chain ucts and theatre tickets. antee freshness and reduce from the focus of Japanese volved service by store em- Family Mart. The retailers, who waste. local retailers on fresh food ployees and were for smaller Taro Kosaki, interna- included Kash Khera Its high proportion of and drink and from the amounts using cash. tional business develop- of Simply Fresh and own-label food is con- success of its supply chain ment manager at the Jonathan James of James stantly refreshed, with model,” Scott Annan, chain, which is the second Convenience Retail, were around 100 new products founder of IROF, told RN. Calories largest operator of c-stores in Japan as part of an In- introduced each week, as Three large c-store fran- in the world, told retailers dependent Retail Owners it attempts to attract and chise groups dominate the its focus on getting closer Forum study tour. retain shoppers with in- Japanese market, with one cutback to local customers would They learned how teresting new flavours and shop for every 2,300 people, Public Health England’s help its franchisees, mostly Family Mart diferenti- seasonal products. which Mr Kosaki claims is (PHE) plans to cut excess independent operators. ates on the quality of its While regulation has the second highest density calorie consumption will This strategy includes hot snacks, sandwiches helped local shops thrive in the world. only benefit manufacturers, a retailer has told RN. PHE has told manufacturers of pizzas, ready New Payzone parcel service tie-in meals, meat products and savoury snacks to cut A new parcel collection will provide its key retailers are incredibly earn commission for ev- calories by 20% by 2024 to service has forged an alli- pick-up points for online important to us. They can ery parcel they accept and help combat obesity. If this ance with Payzone to pro- shoppers. provide the coverage we give to customers. doesn’t happen, legislation vide its click and collect The company is ofering need as well as extended “Our figures show that might be introduced. ofering through an app 48p per package, collected and Sunday open- 95% of customers collect But Shelly Goel, of One on retailers’ terminals. from orders placed with ing hours. Customers their items within 48 Stop Gospel Lane in Bir- HubBox ofers consum- retailers such as Ware- shouldn’t be more than hours and 46% of those mingham, said: “This rule ers click and collect from house and Jack Wills. half a mile away from a within seven hours, so will only encourage manu- major online retailers HubBox marketing HubBox store. Footfall is retailers aren’t losing out facturers to sell smaller por- and believes convenience manager Malena Fin- key for what we can ofer in terms of taking up floor tions at the same price.” stores and newsagents guerut said: “Independent retailers, and they also space.” RN 9 March 2018 5

Plan for 200 stores in three years ‘The Bestway deal makes Select & Save more appealing’ Tesco and Booker deal Bestway supply deal key gets okay Tesco has completed its £4bn takeover of Booker af- to Select & Save growth ter shareholders voted the deal through last Friday. by Alex Yau stores in a bid to entice excluding milk. Produce dence retailers supplied by Tesco chief executive [email protected] new retailers. can also be bought in Nisa would retain as part Dave Lewis said: “This Mr King told RN: “Our single quantities. of the Co-op deal, but there merger is about growth, Select & Save’s recent sup- supply deal with Bestway In comparison, Nisa are none of those worries bringing together our ply deal with Bestway is can help us make fresh requires 200 cases of ambi- with Bestway,” he said. complementary retail and key to its aim of doubling and food to go trends work. ent per delivery, alongside A new alcohol concept wholesale skills to create store numbers to 200 in However, it’s a trend many 100 cases of chilled and is also being rolled out the UK’s leading food the next three years, man- retailers are reluctant to frozen throughout the across Select & Save shops. business.” aging director Andrew try because of the high week. Currently installed in Former Booker chief King has told RN. wastage costs. Mr King added Co-op’s two stores in Birming- executive Charles Wilson The symbol group “The Bestway deal pro- £143m takeover of Nisa, ham, it sees the wine and has now taken over as switched from Nisa as its vides advantages that can expected to be completed beer sections of stores the chief executive of main supplier to a five- relieve some cost issues in April subject to approval redesigned to resemble a Tesco’s retail and whole- year deal with Bestway in and make the Select & Save from the Competition and standalone shop. sale operations in the UK November last year. brand more appealing.” Markets Authority, would The company’s exec- and Ireland, reporting to Mr King, who joined Bestway’s minimum have also made retailers utive team is also being Mr Lewis. Select & Save a month ear- delivery requirements for reluctant to join Select & expanded. Two area man- Former Booker chair- lier, has now set targets to retailers are £500 for ambi- Save. agers will now visit stores man Stewart Gilliland will increase the fresh and food ent excluding tobacco, and “There are questions regularly to assist with become a non-executive to go ranges in the group’s £100 for fresh and chilled about how much indepen- development. director of Tesco. Booker has also been delisted from the London Stock Exchange. Better labelling Backlash call for low- and over snow no-alcohol drinks prices Clearer labelling of low- Peter Robinson, of Rob- A Scottish retailer has alcohol and non-alcoholic inson Retail in Pembroke, criticised a fellow indepen- drinks would ensure said while consumers dent for increasing grocery consumers are not misled could turn a bottle over prices as snowstorms when they buy drinks, a and read the label, if disrupted the country. retailer has told RN. drinks are low enough in Kashif Nadeem, of The comment follows a alcohol by volume (ABV) Premier Blackadder’s Mini call from MPs from the all- to be classed as alcohol- Market in Greenlaw, kept party parliamentary group free, there should be a his store open, but said on alcohol harm, along- clear label on the front. customers were annoyed side charities Alcohol Re- “Consumers sometimes by a store 11 miles away search UK and Club Soda, buy alcohol-free drinks for heavily increasing its for clearer regulations on by mistake, so labelling prices. the labelling of low- and would help them. At the “The community no-alcohol drinks. same time, if having a spirit wasn’t everywhere,” A survey conducted by bottle with a label show- Mr Nadeem told RN. the charities said people ing what it contains Gin – the perfect Mother’s Day gift “Customers were annoyed ‘found it hard to make makes it easier for people A Spar retailer is encourag- her prominent Mother’s by the shop near me, sense of terms such as choosing to drink less ing other independents to Day display will be which charged £3 for bread “alcohol-free”, “low alco- alcohol, then I’m for it,” stock gin gift sets to boost highly successful. and £5 for milk.” hol”, “de-alcoholised” and he said. sales this Mother’s Day. “We sold it at Christmas In the same week, a “non-alcoholic”’. It also Laura Willoughby MBE, Steph Latham, of Lawrence and it was very popular. Londis in Newport also hit suggested proper labelling co-founder of Club Soda, Hunt Spar in Preston, We keep the display at the the headlines for charg- would make it easier for has proposed all drinks predicted the Gin & Tonic front so it’s the first thing ing £3 for bread during the those looking to reduce with ABV of 0.5% and Experience gift set she customers see when they inclement weather. their alcohol intake to below should be called is selling for £11.99 on come in,” she said. l See page 33 for find suitable drinks. ‘alcohol-free’. Mr Nadeem’s guest column. 6 9 March 2018 RN STORE LOOKBOOK

£11k Increase in weekly turnover from Bay’s changes

or the past 20 years, multi-site base. A combination of his own expe- retailer Bay Bashir has won rience and advice from suppliers has awards for creating a successful helped him achieve this. Fconvenience model in an area of Whereas beer sales were higher than Middlesbrough with a high crime rate wine sales in his other shops, for exam- and low-income residents. The founda- ple, Bay soon discovered customers in A new tions of this success lie in the fact Bay Billingham had the opposite tastes. He and his staf go the extra mile for their therefore merchandised brands such as community, which helps him to reap a Blossom Hill and Yellow Tail across the weekly turnover of £50,000 across these top of his 3m chiller, a move that has three Lifestyle Express shops. driven alcohol to contribute 30% of the “I’ve seen many of my regulars grow shop’s overall sales. way for up and know them well,” says Bay. “I’ve Bay also achieved a rise in confection- funded kits for the school football team ery sales after working with Ferrero. nearby. Sometimes, I’ve even caught He says: “Ferrero recommended I mer- kids stealing, but I explain why theft chandise its products on the bottom is wrong rather than punish them. It’s shelf. I thought that wasn’t the best loca- not for recognition or financial gain. tion to maximise confectionery sales at I just want to give back to the area I was first, but it turns out the products were Bay brought up in.” more visible to children there and sales Bay’s dedication to the area has earned of Ferrero products increased 300%.” him many plaudits from residents, but Bay’s experience of introducing high Award-winning retailer Bay the latest step in his retail journey has store standards has also paid dividends. It involved venturing into unfamiliar terri- has helped him counter competition from Bashir has built a reputation for tory to open a new store in 2017. a nearby of-licence, Londis, Sainsbury’s His latest 600sq ft store is only a and Tesco Express, as well as repair the running fantastic stores in poorer 20-minute drive away from his other store’s poor reputation among locals. areas around Middlesbrough. So shops in Billingham – yet is an area with “It was in bad shape. There was a hor- an entirely diferent customer base. rible odour and an infestation problem, what happened when he opened Here, Bay’s challenge has been to put and it had a terrible reputation for stand- a business in a nearby affluent all he has learned from his other stores ards and service,” says Bay. into practice and tailor the store’s range “I spent £5,000 over two days replacing suburb? Alex Yau reports to cater for a more afuent customer unsightly and old fixtures with modern RN 9 March 2018 7 RN’s Store Lookbook gives me ideas about how I can arrange my shop and adapt my range to best cater to my customers BAY BASHIR

STORE TOUR

Bay invested £5,000 and two full days of his time renovating the shop Confectionery is merchandised at the centre of the store to make the most of trade from nearby schools Unlike previous stores, demand for wine overtakes beer and the displays have been arranged accordingly Nearby residents still like a good deal and the store differentiates itself from nearby competition with regular weekly promotions

INFORMATION Location Lifestyle Express Billingham, 88 Wolviston Road, Billingham, TS22 5SF Size 600sq ft Turnover £13,000 Average basket £6 » 8 9 March 2018 RN STORE LOOKBOOK

ones and cleansing the store of its other problems.” All this work to bring the shop up to STORE TOUR scratch has paid of, he says. Retailing runs in the “Within days of opening, residents Bashir family and the store commented on how modern it looked is managed by Bay’s eldest and on the friendliness of the staf. It’s son, Ennis drastically diferent to how it used to be.” The Tango Ice Blast The momentum Bay has created machine has attracted more shows no signs of slowing. A year since than £1,500 of sales since opening, weekly turnover has increased its introduction in February from an average of £2,200 to £13,000. Bay Bay is to introduce hot now plans to add a 4m food to go section food to go nearby his snacks with hot pastries and cofee in the com- display to encourage im- ing months to boost sales still further. pulse buys and increased With no nearby competition from cafés basket spend or restaurants, the new store is perfectly placed to provide these services to residents. With his sights already set on another store opening, Bay is clearly hungry for more. “It’s been a major investment for me, with many challenges, and I questioned whether the new store would work,” he says. “But there have been nothing but positives since it opened a year ago, and it’s turned out to be one of the best business decisions I’ve ever made.” l

Want to see more of Bay’s store? Go to betterretailing.com/ lifestyle-express-billingham RN page ad.indd 1 23/02/2018 13:23 10 9 March 2018 RN SYMBOL NEWS Bestway Spar supports Marie Curie reveals Spar stores across the UK are joining forces this month van design to raise money for charity Marie Curie’s ‘Great Daffodil Bestway Wholesale has Appeal’. Participating stores unveiled the new design will have daffodil badges at for its van sales operation. till points that customers can Each vehicle will purchase with a donation have a logo of a van with of £1 or more. Money will ‘Bestway Vans Direct’ also be raised from in-store written underneath. events and the sale of prod- The wholesaler ucts such as Daz, McVitie’s launched its delivery biscuits and Mars Wrigley service at the end of Confectionery chocolate January after it bought pouches. The symbol group 190 vans from collapsed raised more than £640,000 wholesaler Palmer & for the charity last year. Harvey. Bestway Vans Direct now serves more than 20,000 customers every fortnight. £5 for a main, side and dessert ‘Customers are continually asking about the promotion’ Bestway Wholesale’s director of van sales Noel Robinson said: “Our van sales staf are armed with technology that ‘Feed the Family’ meal provides information on order history, monthly promotions and incentives.” deal nourishes sales by Alex Yau [email protected] recent products including “We have a lot of been difcult at times to Pack swap 650ml boxes of Viennetta families in the area and it’s keep track of the increase,” Retailers are seeing ice cream, 200g bags of unique because it’s tailored he said. lifts Spar’s increased demand for Aunt Bessie’s oven chips specifically to this cus- “Sales have definitely Booker’s latest ‘Feed the and a pack of Birds Eye tomer base,” said Mr Patel. been on the up each sandwich Family’ frozen meal deal, southern fried chicken. “The £5 price really stands month and we make more as other symbol groups The ofer has previously out when on display and than £175 from the meal A retailer has boosted his are adding similar family- included products such it also helps us compete deal a week. Customers are sandwich sales by 10% orientated promotions to as garlic bread, pizza and with other symbol groups continually asking about following the introduction their ranges. oven fries. because customers can get the promotion because it of Spar’s redesigned own Booker’s meal deal is Jay Patel, of Jay’s a lot for their money.” ofers good quality brands brand range. available in Budgens, Lon- Budgens in Brockley, told Raaj Chandarana, of for a very afordable price.” The packaging now dis and Premier stores, RN the meal deal is one of Tara’s Londis in High Meanwhile, Raj Aggar- features a larger window and ofers customers a his store’s most popular Wycombe, added sales of wal, who runs three Spar and branding to help main, side and dessert for promotions. “The meal the promotion have gradu- stores, has seen an 8% distinguish between £5. The options available deal has been doing very ally increased each month uplift in frozen ready meal flavours more easily. in the deal, which was well since November and since it was introduced. sales since he introduced Baz Jethwa, who runs introduced in November, average sales are more “It’s been very popular Spar’s £5 family deal at the three Spar stores in Bolton, rotate every month, with than £400 per week. among customers and it’s start of the year. began selling the range in February. “My pre-packed sandwich sales have Wholesalers praised for service during snow increased by 10%. It’s Retailers have praised Store in Glasgow, still Meanwhile, JW Filshill deliveries in the previous easier for customers to see Scottish wholesalers for received his regular had to cancel deliveries business week. what’s inside and the more maintaining communica- deliveries. between 28 February “We made 600 deliveries premium design stands tion when heavy snow He told RN: “The snow and 2 March. However, and we expect everything out more compared to caused severe disruption was really bad, but Booker it continued to maintain to be back to normal from the previous range,” said to store deliveries. still managed to deliver communication with 12 March.” Mr Jethwa. Heavy snow last week my goods. customers by phone, A Booker spokes- Spar UK brand manager afected deliveries from “There were no issues social media and email. woman added: “We have Olivia Basten added: wholesalers such as at all and praise has to be Managing director been working hard to try “We are continually Bestway, JW Filshill and given for the communica- Simon Hannah told RN: to keep disruption to a redeveloping our products Booker. tion we received through- “Staf worked all week- minimum and apologise to make them even better However, Naresh Gajri, out the bad weather,” end to minimise disrup- to our customers for any for shoppers.” of Cranhill Convenience added Mr Gajri. tion caused by cancelled inconvenience.” RN 9 March 2018 11 NEWS & MAGS Pro-rata rise for national edition but regionals cut up to 2% Papers ‘devaluing themselves’ Changes pay off Mixed bag of terms with in ABCs Titles that altered publication model have seen a Trinity Mirror increases circulation uplift while other regionals show fur- by Tim Murray However, regional price of terms on its national handful of copies each day. ther decline, this month’s [email protected] rises by the publisher, edition. Pro-rata is our The price rise helps us to Audit Bureau of Circulations which recently acquired stance. But, we have res- keep delivering.” (ABC) figures reveal. A raft of changes at Trin- the Daily Express and Daily ervations on the margins In response to the According to the figures ity Mirror that include na- Star newspapers, will take on its regional editions.” regional rises Ray Mo- published this month, tional and regional price efect on Saturday editions In a message to readers, nelle, of Orchard News, The Wigan Post, owned rises have created a mixed of the Western Mail and Western Daily Press edi- Weston-Super-Mare, said: by Johnston Press, saw a landscape for retailers the Western Daily Press tor Gavin Thompson said “Newspapers are devalu- 42% copy sales increase to struggling to maintain as well as the Stoke Sen- the paper, whose margin ing themselves. If they’re 3,380 for the period July to margins. tinel. All have decreased has dropped from 18% to not prepared to help us, December 2017 compared to A price rise for the Daily terms by 0.5% up to 2%. A 17%, would invest in jour- they’re not helping them- the same six-month period Mirror’s national edition, host of weekly titles will nalism but the rise would selves.” last year, aided by a part which will take efect also see price rises and enable it to keep distribut- The price rises come as paid-for part-free model. from Monday, will see margin cuts. ing to stores. He said: “Our Trinity Mirror announced Meanwhile, the Trinity the newspaper’s price rise NFRN head of news and distribution is costly. The it is rebranding with a Mirror-owned Glouces- from 70p to 75p with pro- magazines Brian Murphy rural nature of much of our new name – Reach Plc – as tershire Echo enjoyed an rata terms of 21.4% being said: “We welcome Trin- readership means many well as a series of senior increase of 18% to 9,329 maintained. ity Mirror’s maintaining of those shops only sell a editorial changes. copies having moved from a daily to a weekly in October. Likewise, its stablemate, Kerrang! rocks Gloucester Citizen, which also altered frequency, saw a on with new 10% circulation increase. look relaunch The Yorkshire Evening Post Kerrang!, the last of the was the poorest performing great British paid-for daily with a 29% decrease to music weeklies, has got 11,494 copies per issue sold. a new look as part of a major relaunch of the publication under new Publisher: owner Wasted Talent Ltd. The Mixmag publisher, new mag which acquired the magazine from Bauer last year, is ‘brave’ has redesigned the new addition to its stable and Shropshire Star publisher is celebrating with four Midlands News Associa- different covers for the is- tion (MNA) has launched a sue, on shelves since new weekly magazine for 7 March. At the same time, the county aimed at readers its price is rising to £3. who don’t have enough time to read a newspaper every day. The Shropshire Weekly sells for £2.50 and MNA Smiths’ cold closure angers retailers admitted it was a “brave move”, adding that there Smiths News’ depot at wholesale app SNapp to SNapp, but didn’t use it to Newport closure held up was nothing like it in the Newport was among the retailers who were left tell us itself.” returns. marketplace. worst hit during the cold without newspapers on The Taunton depot in Smiths’ chief operating John Vine, of Newsworld, snap as the wholesaler Friday 2 March and the the south west was also ofcer Jonathan Bunting Church Stretton, Shrop- decided not to send out following day. badly hit. said: “Ensuring news- shire, said: “I’m the biggest newspapers citing Mark Dudden of Albany Smiths News said it papers were delivered Shropshire Star selling in “health and safety” News at the Post Ofce, managed to complete where possible, while this area, but I don’t think reasons. Cardif, said: “I under- 97% of deliveries over guaranteeing the safety this has anything for my However, it has come stand the health and safe- the worst four days and of our colleagues, is a elderly customers. There’s under fire for failure to ty concerns, but Smiths added it is delaying pay- difcult balance to strike a lot of advertising. I’m get- efectively communicate could have communicated ments due from indies when faced with adverse ting some PoS in, so I guess the decision through its it better. It wants us to use as the “unprecedented” weather.” time will tell.” 12 9 March 2018 RN PRODUCT TRENDS Slushie sales that sparkle 4.7m households buying Retailers should ofer unicorn-themed slushies, flavoured colas to capitalise on demand for unicorn-themed foods, supplier Nichols has said. Ed Jones, senior customer marketing manager for Vimto out-of-home, said the company’s new watermelon Unicorn Starslush with a ‘shimmer finish’ will help drive sales of frozen drinks as it targets adults as well as kids. “Watermelon is a favourite with consumers and according to data analyst TGI, it is growing at 3.9% year on year,” he said. Anita Nye, of Premier El- dred Drive Stores in Kent, predicted the product will be especially popular with Flavoured and low-sugar children. “I’ve seen a lot of schoolchildren taking part in the unicorn fad, colas ‘huge’ opportunity and I’d probably swap our strawberry flavour for the by Priyanka Jethwa Coke and only 38% for light tal shoppers to the wider Diet Coke and Coke Zero watermelon,” she said. [email protected] cola varieties. cola category, according this year. “However, there is a to statistics from Kantar Ben Dyer, of Debbens Coca-Cola European huge opportunity for Worldpanel. News in Hampshire, said Partners (CCEP) is urging retailers to capitalise with To help retailers benefit he has a 50/50 split be- Children independent retailers to Diet Coke, the 500ml bottle from the category, CCEP tween full sugar Coca-Cola capitalise on the ‘huge having a 94% distribution has focused on develop- and light varieties, with choose opportunity’ light and opportunity, the 330ml ing its range of light and one facing of each. zero-sugar cola varieties can 91%. Coca-Cola Zero zero-sugar colas, launch- “I would say we prob- cheese ofer, as more consumers 500ml also has a 56% ing Zero Sugar Peach, Ex- ably sell more Diet Coke look for a range of on-the- distribution opportunity, otic Mango Diet Coke and than Coke Zero. If more Retailers must invest in go drinks. with the 330ml can at Feisty Cherry Diet Coke, consumers started to ask the growing demand for Gary Black, wholesale 36%.” alongside a brand new look for flavoured varieties of children’s cheese in the and convenience sales With 4.7 million house- for Diet Coke in a can to Coca-Cola, I would con- snacking category, chilled director at CCEP, said: holds buying flavoured help drive sales and target sider stocking them. The food supplier Kerry Foods “Currently in the impulse colas last year, the seg- a younger audience. only issue I have is with has told RN. channel, the CCEP cola ment is attracting an ad- The company will spend space, as we don’t have a Lisa Doberenz, Chees- mix sits at 62% for regular ditional 340,000 incremen- £25m on marketing on huge store,” he added. trings senior brand manager at Kerry Foods, said it has invested £1.5m in its ‘Choose Fun’ TV advert, which is targeted at chil- Adults are the new sweet sales spot dren who are looking for Retailers can drive in- alcoholic flavours appeal ery, said confectionery Vinay Patel, of Jolly’s a ‘fun’ snack that plays on cremental confectionery to young adults. that appeals to adults is a in Surrey, said he stocks their imagination. sales by stocking a range “To drive sales, retailers global trend that retailers 50 jars of retro and tra- According to Nielsen that appeals to adults, should site them with must cater for this year. ditional sweets behind data for the year ending suppliers have told RN. other sweets bags on the “Traditional confec- the counter, which are 2017, Cheestrings is worth Marta Sansò, a senior main fixture or as part of tionery such as Barratt’s popular with over-30s. £44.7m in the UK, and is brand manager at a ‘Big Night In’ ofering,” Dip Dab appeals to adults “I also sell 100g bags for growing at 13% year on Mondelez International, she added. because it helps them re- around £1 and wine gums year, outperforming the said the company’s new Russell Tanner, market- connect with their inner in sharing bags, which total cheese snacking Maynards Bassetts Wine ing and category director ‘big kid’ and nostalgia,” are popular with adults, category. Gums Mocktails in non- at Tangerine Confection- he said. too,” he said. RN 9 March 2018 13 BRAND SNAPSHOT

Cadbury’s Easter hunt When flavour calls Lucozade’s Lara Croft ad Cadbury’s Easter bunny TV campaign The McCoy’s Chips ‘When Flavour Lucozade Energy has begun a £6m is returning this year to help the Calls’ advert has returned to TV with a campaign in partnership with new brand build on the tradition of Easter £1.5m campaign to create nostalgia for motion picture Tomb Raider, opening egg hunts. a traditional ﬁsh and chip shop taste. in cinemas from 15 March.

Mars’ chocolate pods Always bet on Black Pot’s cheesy pasta Mars Chocolate Drinks & Treats is ex- Southern Comfort Black is the brand’s Pot Noodle is expanding its Pot Pasta tending its hot chocolate range with latest ﬂavour and will launch with range with Tomatoey Mozzarella. the addition of Galaxy and Maltesers a campaign aimed at engaging Its arrival will run alongside a £2m Hot Chocolate Pods. younger spirit drinkers. marketing investment.

Rubicon still has it Press gang Light’s bottle boost AG Barr is relaunching its Rubicon Cawston Press’s new range of Bud Light is to be made available in a Stills range with three new products: pressed fruit drinks comes in new 300ml bottle format, which is cur- Rubicon Regular, Rubicon Deluxe Rhubarb, Cloudy Apple, Elderﬂower rently being rolled out in convenience and Rubicon Light & Fruity. Lemonade and Ginger Beer ﬂavours. stores. 14 9 March 2018 RN WHAT’S NEW

Happy Monkey smoothie Mighty Fine snacks Boka bars Available in five flavours, Happy Monkey Mighty Fine’s Salted Caramel Honeycomb Bite Boka bars contain less than 100 calories and smoothies are made using only fruit and veg- is now available in a 21.5g format. It is designed come in four flavours: Apple & Cinnamon, etables. They are sold in boxes of four, designed as a premium snack bar for consumers looking Strawberry, Choco Mallow and Caramel. They to fit inside a child’s lunchbox. for something to grab and go. work as on-the-go or gym snacks. RRP £2.49 RRP 75p RRP 89p Contact [email protected] Contact kit@mightyfine.co.uk Contact [email protected]

Flower & White Small Beer lager Symington’s rice meringue bars The Small Beer Brewery’s lager is a low-ABV Each pot of Symington’s Naked Rice takes five Flower & White’s Meringue Bar contains less beer that comes in two varieties: 2.1% Original minutes to prepare, contains 300 calories, and than 100 calories, and is naturally gluten-free, Small Beer Lager and 1% Original Small Beer ofers retailers a way to tap into demand for low-fat and suitable for vegetarians. It comes Dark Lager. convenient and healthy foods. in Raspberry and Chocolate flavours. RRP £2.75 (Lager); £2.85 (Dark Lager) RRP £1.19 RRP £1.29 Contact [email protected] Contact [email protected] Contact sales@flowerandwhite.co.uk RN 9 March 2018 15

Priyanka Jethwa [email protected] 020 7689 3355

Focus Food to go The rapidly growing food-to-go category needs a constant stream of new options and varieties for consumers, so stocking a selection of diferent cuisines is essential

Ape Snacks Coconut Puffs Ape Snacks’ Coconut Pufs are designed to meet demand for healthier and alternative options, Kabuto Noodles Tom’s Pies and are available in two ﬂavours: Lightly Salted and Thai Chilli. Tapping into the growing trend in Tom’s Pies can be enjoyed hot and cold RRP 80p Asian cuisine for convenient formats, and are available through Cotswold Contact [email protected] Kabuto Noodles come in 11 ﬂavours, Fayre and Blakemore Wholesale. Last have a 12-month shelf life and do not year, they won Gold at the Taste of the need to be stored in the fridge. West Awards. RRP £1.99 RRP £3.50 to £4.50 Contact [email protected] Contact [email protected]

Luke Mansell Chalbury Food & Wine, Weymouth We do sell a selection of ready meals that people can pick up on the go, such as Pot Noodles that are popular.

Pollen + Grace hot pot Sunsoul drinks Warming Miso and Kimchi Noodle Pots are designed to heat up commuters Natural energy drink Sunsoul is low in calories, on the go. They can be stored in the contains no added sugar and is available in chiller and have a five-day shelf life. three flavours: Sicilian Lemon & Lime, Wild RRP £3.99 Blackberry & Pear and Raspberry & Elderflower. Contact [email protected] RRP £1.20 to £1.50 Contact [email protected] 16 9 March 2018 RN PRICEWATCH Profit checker Cider Price checker

WESTONS STRONG OAK CONDITIONED VINTAGE 500ml Price distribution % PRODUCT

40% 66% of independents sell this product at or below the £2.19 RRP

35% Frosty Jack’s 3l 30% K Cider 500ml

25% Scrumpy Jack 500ml Crumpton 20% Oaks 2.5l Strongbow 15% Dark Fruit 10-pack 440ml Barnstormer 10% 3l

Omega 500ml 5% Westons Strong Oak Conditioned Vintage 0% 500ml Barnstormer Black Dry

£1.95 £2.15 £2.17 £2.19 £2.21 £1.99 £2.10 £2.18 £2.23 £2.24 £2.25 £2.03 £2.05 £2.09 £2.20 £2.29 -£1.95 £2.00 500ml +£2.29 Bulmers Red Berries & Lime 500ml Analysis Omega The majority of retailers choose to category too, where 48% of ciders are strating cider’s suitability to be sold at 2l price Westons cider at RRP – 39% opt sold at RRP in our data. But where a wide range of prices, which range for Booker’s £2.19 price on our Profit retailers deviate from the RRP, the from 80p above RRP to 70p below. Frosty Jack’s Checker chart, and three out of five split between higher and lower pricing The retailers we spoke to also favour Original Apple stockists on this week’s Price Checker is fairly even – 27.8% under and 33.2% using promotions such as multibuy 1l table. It’s a pattern found in the wider over in the case of Westons – demon- deals to attract even more sales. How we drive our profit We buy our cider from Bestway. We buy our cider from Booker Kamal Sisodia Our of-licence isn’t very big, so Samantha and tend to stick to pricemarked STORE Belvoir News Local we need to make sure we stock Coldbeck packs where we can, but we LOCATION Coalville the right range of bestsellers. We also charge an additional 10p on SIZE 950sq ft have three types of cider in stock STORE Wharfedale Premier brands such as Westons, which TYPE town centre and we either stick to the RRP or LOCATION Hull gives us margins of 20%. There are SIZE 1,600sq ft opt for pricemarked stock. We’ve TYPE neighbourhood also promotions available such found this is the best approach for as three for £5. In our area there TOP TIP our store, and through it we make TOP TIP is a lot of shoplifting, so charg- Don’t intimidate margins of around 20%. Our cus- Keep a range of ing higher prices covers us just in customers with tomers are mainly local residents products which case theft does lower our margins. an unnecessarily and there’s not really much demand are pricemarked We follow our own planograms large range for specialist or more expensive or above RRP to determine how we merchan- alcohol around here so we stick to because there is dise products and use our sales the mainstream brands. I find other demand for both data to see which cider brands we alcoholic drinks such as wines and should stock, depending on their spirits tend to sell better than cider. popularity. RN 9 March 2018 17

Alex Yau [email protected] 020 7689 3358

Data supplied by EDFM is a specialist in helping leading suppliers to the UK’s independent convenience channel get value, insights and business benefits from EPoS data. To find out how they could help you call 07976 295094 MY LOCAL HERO AVERAGE BOOKER RETAILER RETAILER RETAILER RETAILER RETAILER RETAILER UK RRP Retailers reveal the most profitable RETAIL 1 2 3 4 5 6 produce on their doorsteps PRICE* SUBURBAN HIGH SMALL C-STORE C-STORE ON BUSY C-STORE IN TOWN SMALL LOCAL STORE IN STREET STORE IN IN RESIDENTIAL SHOPPING STREET CENTRE IN DEVON NEWSAGENT IN RESIDENTIAL AREA READING AREA, SCOTTISH OF NORTH EAST CENTRE OF KENT OF NORTHANTS BORDER TOWN INDUSTRIAL TOWN COASTAL TOWN TOWN Tony Cristofaro Spar Landmark Place, Cardiff £4.30 £4.49 £4.49 £4.45 £3.95 £4.35 £4.49 £4.25 iSqueeze Orange Juice (£2 to £3) £1.45 £1.59 £1.30 £1.59 £1.25 £1.55 £1.35 £1.49

£1.44 £1.59 £1.29 – £1.10 £1.45 £1.29 £1.00 Where did you discover it? We source oranges daily from a local firm and started selling freshly squeezed juice from a £3.69 £3.89 £3.59 – £3.55 £3.99 – £3.99 machine which we got on recommendation from Spar. We were told fresh juice would be perfect for tapping into the healthy eating and £11.62 £12.99 £12.99 £12.99 – £12.99 – £11.99 food to go market. We installed the machine in August as part of our most recent store refit. Who buys it? £3.99 £3.99 – £3.99 – – £3.99 £3.99 We’re based in Cardif city centre and there are a lot of students and professionals who buy these drinks. The machine is particularly 89p 89p 89p 89p 89p 89p 89p 89p popular during lunch times when customers want a drink to accompany their food. We sell more than 12 bottles a day and there’s no £2.20 £2.19 £2.19 £2.19 – £2.20 £2.35 £2.19 sign of the momentum slowing down at all. Sometimes customers purchase them in the evening for their commute home. £1.05 99p 99p £1.30 – 99p £1.10 £1.10 Why is it so successful? It fits into the growing trend of health and food to go. A lot of our customers are millen- £2.30 £2.39 – £2.39 £1.99 £2.39 – – nials, so we’ve got the right customer base for these drinks. The machine is also positioned right by the till so customers can see it when £2.89 £2.89 £2.89 £2.89 £2.89 – £2.89 £2.89 they’re queuing and it promotes more impulse purchases. The fact customers can juice fresh oranges is also a big selling point, because £1.82 £1.79 – £1.89 £1.89 – £1.99 £1.89 they know each bottle doesn’t contain any artificial or unhealthy ingredients.

* from a sample of 3,500 stores

I offer a range of prices on bottles Ciders are popular in our store and Vip Measuria of Westons Cider. I either sell them Bay Bashir help drive our alcohol sales, which STORE One Stop The Priorway at RRP or have them on ofer at STORE Lifestyle Express Belle Vue make up a quarter of overall store LOCATION Borrowash three for £5. We have competition Convenience takings. I normally purchase my SIZE 800sq ft from other stores nearby and these LOCATION Middlesbrough cider from the nearest Blakemore TYPE suburban promotions help us sell these bottles SIZE 800sq ft depot. We can’t really go that far TYPE residential because they’re quite expensive above RRP because we’re not in the when compared to other brands. most afuent of areas and charg- TOP TIP It works, because we sell 12 to 15 TOP TIP ing higher prices will usually put Always make cases on a weekly basis and make Never have an people of. We used to have a Spar customers aware margins of more than 35%. I find empty chiller as near us but it didn’t really get much of what’s on mixing both premium and budget this can look really footfall because residents in the promotion as ciders can confuse customers and unappealing to area thought its prices were too offers are the put them of buying them, so we customers expensive, so we avoid that here. biggest sales always put budget ciders in their Promotions work quite well and drivers own section, next to premium having a packed chiller normally alternatives. attracts customers. 18 9 March 2018 RN YOUR NEWS Pass My Excellent turnout at joint NFRN/NewstrAid Parcel Romford charity night Despite hazardous weather, retailers expands turned out to support the charity Parcel company Pass My NewstrAid and NFRN curry night Parcel is now ofering deliv- at the City Pavilion in Romford last ery of pharmacy products week. Retailers enjoyed a trade via its network of conve- show attended by suppliers such as nience store customers – but Boost and Bobby’s before a meal and some retailers are yet to entertainment. Alex van Strauben- hear about the service. zee, chief executive of NewstrAid, The company has signed said: “This was an excellent occasion a deal with online phar- when NewstrAid and the NFRN macy Weldrick’s to allow worked together to entertain the shoppers to order up to 15kg independent retail trade with a trade of medical supplies and show, good food and spectacular toiletries online for delivery Bhangra dancing for the hardworking across the network of 3,500 shop owners and small businesses in shops which use its service the London area.” across the UK. Pass My Parcel retailer Dave Hiscutt, of Londis Planning and ingenuity helps combat effects of weather But deliveries halted for some Westham Road, told RN: “I wasn’t aware they are doing this, but anything that expands the range we can ofer customers is a good thing.” Stores get smart to beat A spokesperson for Pass My parcel told RN there are plans to make “other healthcare and pharmaceu- ‘the beast from the east’ tical names” available for collection from stores. by Olivia Gagan reports. We spoke to our Mr Vincent said the been constant business [email protected] suppliers to double our fro- forward planning paid since the snow started, and zen food orders. We had our dividends once the snow I expect it to remain that Retailers deployed a host of milk supplies arrive a day arrived. “We’re in one of way all week.” Event irons tactics to beat last week’s early, too, before the snow Dorset’s smallest towns, However, remote stores snowstorms, with some hit, and arranged deliveries but we’re seeing customers served by single roads out issues winning and others losing in our 4x4 to elderly cus- we’ve never had before. It’s struggled after being cut of business as adverse weath- tomers who can’t get out.” one of the benefits of being from suppliers. Gail Win- Retailers from the North er swept across the UK. Mr Vincent said they an independent retailer field, of the 727 Newsagent West turned an NFRN dis- Adam Vincent, store also made the most of that we’re able to react to in Lybster, Scotland, did trict event with wholesalers manager of Dike & Son in leftover stock. “Alcohol is bad weather quickly.” not receive milk, bread or into an opportunity to fix the rural area of Stalbridge, selling well as people stay Retailers in urban areas newspapers for several days persistent problems with Dorset, said sales were indoors, so we brought out also saw a business boost. last week after swathes of stock and delivery. boosted by creating a stock mulled wine we still had Terry Caton, of Grange- Scotland’s A9 road were Suleman Khonat, of strategy before “the beast from Christmas. We’ve put wood Stores in Chesterfield, blocked or closed. “It’s the Burnley Road News, told from the east” hit. “We port on special ofer, too, told RN: “People have been first time in 20 years that RN the Manchester Eve- started planning as soon and will be doing sampling in and out all day, stocking we haven’t been able to sell ning News, Menzies and as we heard the weather later this afternoon.” up on essentials. It’s just newspapers,” she said. Newsquest were among the guests at the retailer and newspaper wholesalers’ dinner in Manchester on 26 February. Mr Khonat de- German bottle scheme is praised scribed the dinner as “very A bottle deposit scheme Germany, along with force small stores to have for something like that,” unusual”. akin to Germany’s should nine other retailers as a machine isn’t practical. he said. “Retailers were going up be copied in the UK, but part of the Association of “The UK government The Explorers is a new to wholesalers and talking made available in public Convenience Stores’ (ACS) should have some sort of ACS initiative which has about their issues. As a spaces because independ- Explorers programme to legislation when it comes leading retailers meet to result, Menzies is in now ents don’t have room for see the scheme in action. to plastic bottle recycling, look at new trends and talks with one retailer to a machine in store, a In Germany, the bottle but my issue is with initiatives and learn improve their range, while retailer has told RN. deposit scheme is obliga- the space. The Nixdorf about them together. Newsquest has said it will Dee Sedani, of Londis tory for all independent machines we saw in Ger- The first trip focused on visit a Burnley newsagent Etwall in Derbyshire, retailers. However, Mr many were huge and had technology visiting the to help merchandise its visited independent store Sedani believes the UK a 0.5m conveyer belt – we Eurocis exhibition, in newspapers,” he said. Edeka, in Dusselfdorf, government’s plan to simply don’t have room Germany. RN 9 March 2018 19 CATEGORY ADVICE In association with Energise your sales Last month, RN joined Lucozade Energy experts Claire Keaveny and GET INVOLVED Jonny Acton at Sue Nithyanandan’s DRIVE SOFT DRINKS store in Epsom. One month on, we SALES IN YOUR STORE For more advice and tips, find out if the changes to her soft go to betterRetailing.com/ drinks display have boosted sales. grow-soft-drinks

FOCUS ON EXPERT ADVICE LUCOZADE’S ENERGY’S TIPS SUE CLAIRE KEAVENY Group products by colas, energy drinks NITHYANANDAN & JONNY ACTON 1 and waters to make it easy for customers Costcutter Epsom, Senior Brand to find what they want Surrey Manager & Field Sales Double or triple-face popular products to Manager, Lucozade Energy 2 reduce time spent restocking “I’d never really focused on low and zero-calorie “Working with Sue and her team was a real Ensure popular low and no-calorie options drinks before. The dump bin really seems to have delight, her passion for running a best-in- 3 are placed beside core flavours to give improved visibility and I can see there’s demand class store is clear and we’re thrilled the shoppers healthier choices for these products from my customers as they’re changes we made have had such a strong Embrace cans to cater to different shopper flying out now. I’m usually wary of having reps impact on her soft drink sales. As we go into 4 missions and attract additional sales visit, but I can see it’s important to take their the warmer months, we’re confident her sales advice – this has been a real eye-opener.” will continue to grow.” KEY LESSONS CHALLENGES AND CHANGES THE RESULT Shopper missions: Sue was missing out on additional sales Stock cans of popular varieties to because she did not cater for some important shopper 1 cater to different shopper missions missions. Lucozade Energy cans, a new format for the store, £3,285 and attract additional spend. were introduced into the fixture to capitalise on this. predicted soft drink sales Increase your low and no-calorie Choice: Sue’s energy range was missing healthier options, increase for Sue, per year, 2 drinks offer. Products such as so low and no-calorie drinks, such as Lucozade Zero, were based on data from the Lucozade Zero meet the rising introduced to widen choice for shoppers and tap into the rising past four weeks demand for healthier drinks. health trend ahead of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy on 6 April. Increase PoS to highlight new Visibility: New products and bestsellers didn’t stand out within the 3 products. Shelf strips, wobblers, fixture. Adding PoS such as shelf wobblers and product bins near the till clearly and bins of ambient product signposts exciting products to shoppers and encourages impulse purchases. encourage impulse purchases.

Before

After

RN pageafter single.inddad.indd 1 19 06/03/2018 13:4316:43 20 9 March 2018 RN YOUR VIEWS YOUR LETTERS

Thanks for going the extra mile in the cold weather Out with

Praise where praise is due – the the delivery NFRN would like to thank the news driver, wholesalers for the extra eforts they made in getting newspapers lending a and magazines to our members’ hand, was JW Filshill directors Simon stores during the extreme weather and Nick Hannah (pictured) conditions last week and for the Filshill’s top helped with deliveries detailed information and regular updates, which helped keep our man Simon during the bad weather members fully up to date with events. Hannah We shouldn’t just How many MDs Yes, there were some instances Craig Robertson where stores could not be reached complain – we are at the coal face? and there was obviously an element should also praise Just had a delivery from JW Filshill, of disappointment. which was a day late, but was well But the overall eforts made We are quick to complain to Smiths communicated which is a superb show how good the industry can News when things are not right, service alone. But out with the be, and what it can do when it pulls so it’s only fair to also acknowledge delivery driver, lending a hand, was together. when they manage things well. Filshill’s top man Simon Hannah. We do hope that as the I would like to thank Smiths News’ I wonder: how many delivered contingency plans are reviewed it Hemel Hempstead/Hornsey depot wholesalers’ MDs are out lending a is not just in occasions like snow, for the timely deliveries to us in this hand at the coal face? Huge thanks but also everyday needs that will be awful weather. The roads must have and well done to Simon and his addressed. been treacherous but it seems the excellent hard-working team. Brian Murphy, drivers coped. Craig Robertson NFRN head of news Kamal Thaker Dunlop Village Post Office, and magazines Stop Shop News, Edgware near Kilmarnock

RN READER POLL YOUR SAY ARE CARRIAGE CHARGES THREATENING THE VIABILITY OF YOUR STORE? Diet Zero sugar 30% Ian Lewis subsidising delivery to those 0% Spar Minster Lovell, Witney other retailers. As a result, We’re paying quite a lot for convenience stores will our newspaper deliveries gradually move away from and they’re often late. You the category. You can see do question it and think, ‘Is it happening everywhere – Full sugar it worth it?’ We have a good newspaper sales are shrinking 70% HND service, which is what and hot food to go is replacing helps support our newspaper newspaper space in-store. business. It’s deeper problems than just price, though Sophie Towers Which sort of ﬁzzy – they’re not listening to Hillingdon Spar, Burnley drinks do you now sell customers. I can’t see how Any rise in costs afects more of in your store? sustainable newspapers are for our store’s bottom line. The the long term. carriage charges are another NEXT WEEK’S QUESTION thing to worry about alongside Do you think clearer labelling Adrian Rodda increases to business rates and of low-alcohol or non-alcoholic AR News, Harrogate the minimum wage. I have no drinks would increase sales? I think the increases are choice but to stock newspapers ridiculous and unjustiﬁed. though – they’re such a key Menzies is delivering to part of my business. I always far many more customers try to upsell groceries when than just newsagents, I sell a newspaper, to try to Vote now at and I’m concerned we’re ofset the rising delivery costs. betterretailing.com RN 9 March 2018 21

YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA I SENT THE LOST VOUCHERS COMMENTS THIS WEEK contact us facebook.com/ThisisRN I write with reference to and @ThisisRN my previous letter published in RN on 22 Febru- The first Fairtrade ary regarding vouchers product we’re from Smiths News. showing off for Smiths News called to Fairtrade Fortnight is tell me I would be called back in one to two days a great new product after sorting out my we have called Eat vouchers problem, but I Your Hat. Their products are sustainably have not heard anything grown, organic and delicious! Also, they’re since then. doing their bit to protect the planet Smiths News says Thornton’s Budgens it has rigorous checks @BelsizeBudgens and balances while dealing with vouchers how many vouchers of and adding proper (as replied to RN). Can I the Telegraph and Times checks to their system. Wow! What an unbelievable 18 inform them that I have I send every time. I feel very upset and hours at @ErosRetail! 6 stores CCTV footage in which In my view, they feeling helpless dealing open today and store teams they can see me putting are just cutting staf with Smiths. going great lengths to deliver vouchers in an envelope and increasing our Kamal Sharma for customers; some of those and sealing it with tape? delivery charges for this Maryvale News, Birmingham that couldn’t make it in provided Can they show me their pathetic service they support in the background. CCTV of when they provide. They are more Smiths did not respond Personally, I started the opened my envelope of concerned about sending to a request for comment morning overviewing business vouchers? Blue-coloured us unwanted drinks and & store situations then ended up jumping in vouchers related to the sweets. Thrice in the last Daily Telegraph are week I was missing my a van, picking up 1,500 jugs of milk from @ easily identiﬁable on papers, and I did not GrahamsDairy depot and hand-balling them CCTV. receive any Times at into stores. If they have such all one day. 100 Harris Aslam rigorous checks, can They should be @HarrisAslam7 they tell me why my keen to sort out YEARS AGO vouchers are lost? They the problems 9 March 1918 #snowday must be able to check my instead of Newsagents were protesting against a history of vouchers to see ignoring them new Education Bill that would restrict #shopstaysopen child labour and end morning newspaper #onlyifitssafe deliveries. They said delivery rounds # providing

were not detrimental to children’s essentialservices health, but ofered to restrict

VIEW FROM them to two hours a day. Natalie Lightfoot THE COUNTER @nataliegreggain with Mike Brown A local ice cream parlour has started to Alabama Rot. We have had a very wet sell traditional weigh-out sweets, pick winter and the disease is associated ’n’ mix and slush in direct competi- with muddy woodland areas. Symp- tion with me. This also happened a toms are skin ulcers followed by kidney few years ago when a traditional sweet failure within three to 10 days. Local shop opened in a new retail develop- beauty spots are deserted with every- ment in the square next to my shop. one taking their dogs – me included – They lasted six months, so the battle down to the beach instead. lines are drawn. Last year, we lost our Next parcel My first salvo has been to introduce a delivery and returns service through loyalty card for the slush: buy nine, get our Payzone terminal. Payzone has in- one free. So far, the take-up has been troduced a new click and collect service I love spending time visiting retailers – great, even though it is early in the sea- called HubBox, which allows custom- especially this very happy and frankly son. It seems to have caught the kids’ ers to shop at any online retailer and awesome guy. @HarjDhasee I’m absolutely imaginations so I might try another have their orders delivered to their delighted you’re going to be the #IAA18 one for the pick ’n’ mix where you col- local shop. We have not gone live yet #BrandAmbassador Great ideas already lect points in exchange for a free toy. but I am hopeful it will be as successful flowing from today’s session! #Retail There is quite a lot of anxiety among as Next returns. Parcel services seem the dog-walking fraternity at the to be the one area of growth for us at #alwaysimproving moment because of a disease called the moment. Samantha Gunston @samanthagunston 22 9 March 2018 RN SPECIAL REPORT When you make a mistake it is easy to worry, but why not take it as an opportunity to learn? From supermarkets to airlines, errors made by all manner of businesses have never been so precious. Tom Gockelen-Kozlowski reports Winning mistakess n an era when top convenience retailers asked: what’s the biggest mistake you’ve are building reputations for innovation, made in retail? Our aim: to find out what mistakes and missteps are inevitable. some of the best store owners have learned I When larger retailers innovate, these from some of the decisions they most regret- errors will be caught, recorded and shared ted at the time. around an estate of potentially thousands of As Albert Einstein once said: “If you’ve stores. But is the same true for independents? never failed you’ve never tried anything Probably not. new.” RN therefore cast the net wide and asked Read on and discover what you can learn the question few retailers would wish to be from RN readers’ mistakes. MY MISTAKE MY MISTAKE NOT TAKING NOT SUPPORTING STAFF THEFT LOCAL SUPPLIERS SERIOUSLY When we introduced our ENOUGH ice cream counter, I decided to stock a really great ice cream manufacturer called It sounds trivial but it’s Marshfield who I worked not. It can happen with with previously. I invested cash and with high-value in their chiller, PoS and items such as tobacco and everything, but my sales has been something I’ve Kate weren’t as good as they had to focus on. We’re all Clark should have been. Arjan chasing margins and staf Sean’s News, WHAT I LEARNED Mehr theft can seriously dam- Upton-upon-Severn, age your costs. Worcestershire You have to Londis, support the most Bracknell, WHAT I LEARNED Berkshire local produce You have to have After that year we swapped an audit trail Products made to Bennett’s ice cream, from If you check stock and nearby can just a few miles away, and cash regularly, things attract greater have now worked with them show up immediately. loyalty for eight years. Tourists We’ve also put in rules come back again and again such as staf cannot because they want local ice serve relatives because cream. Since we intro- collusion can take lon- duced it, we’ve continually ger to show up. seen sales grow by 10%. RN 9 March 2018 23

THAT WAS A THE VALUE OF MESSING UP

BIG MISTAKE, BUT… In a world where mistakes are taken as a sign of weakness, it can be tempting to cover them up, but in the world of aviation there are hundreds of MAYBE I CAN LEARN lives at stake and not dealing with problems can be deadly. So, while Threat and Error Management (TEM) FROM IT might sound like corporate jargon, if you’ve ever flown in an aeroplane it may just have saved your life. TEM is the industry-agreed strategy for sharing the lessons of failure and ensuring every pilot, air traffic controller and even plane designer can take advantage of previous experience. Threats, under the definition of the system, are external issues that the pilot will not expect to occur. Errors, meanwhile, are the mistakes that those in cockpit are guaranteed to make every once in a while. Rather than being chastised, each fault is recorded as a precious example of a weakness in the overall system and then shared to all airlines by an industry body called LOSA. The system began in the early 1990s but in recent years other organisations have been embracing mistakes as a way of creating a culture of sharing best practice. Embracing mistakes is a tactic that is widening its reach elsewhere too. By 1997, basketball hero Michael Jordon was telling us in a Nike advert that “I’ve lost 300 games, 26 times I’ve been trusted to make the game winning shot and missed… and that is why I succeed.” Such has become the importance of the idea for the tech industry, meanwhile, that the Financial Times last year placed “We celebrate failure” among a list of industry clichés. The age of failure is well and truly here.

Michael Jordon, above, is one of those who values his mistakes

» 24 9 March 2018 RN SPECIAL REPORT MY MISTAKE NOT GOING BIG ENOUGH ON FOOD TO GO

We’d tried food to go twice before, with Bake ‘n’ Bite and Cuisine de France and we also had a Nescafé cofee machine, but it didn’t work either time. The limited range we were ofering meant custom- Linda ers got bored after a few weeks. Williams The next time we decided to try Broadway Premier, again, we chose to work with our Oxgangs, symbol group. Edinburgh WHAT I LEARNED We developed our own Premier Deli concept I can now ofer salads to people who aren’t that hungry, sausage rolls to people who want something hot, or a full meal deal to people who are really hungry. Investing in a decent food to go ofer has taken this from being a £100-a-week part of our business to a £1,500 part.

MY MISTAKE LOSING OUT ON THREE YEARS’ SLUSH SALES

For three years, we avoided getting a slush machine because they were expensive and I thought they would be a ﬂash in the pan. My family had had one in the 1980s but it had died a death, and that put me of too. But after Dean we eventually got one, we made Holborn £10,000 from it in the ﬁrst year, so Holborn’s, you could say we lost £30,000 in Redhill, sales in those other years. Surrey WHAT I LEARNED I need to pay more attention if things are appearing in magazines This experience has made me realise I need to pay more attention if things are appearing in magazines and a trend is performing well elsewhere. RN 9 March 2018 25

MY MISTAKE NEXT TIME TRYING TO COMPETE I WILL WITH THE DISCOUNTERS DEFINITELY AT EASTER

This year, I’ve reduced my Eas- DO THINGS ter egg order because I ended up having to reduce a lot of them after Easter Sunday. I’d focused on mid-range DIFFERENTLY eggs like KitKat Chunky and Snickers which Kamal Sisodia supermarkets and nearby discounters had big WH Smith Local, deals on. The one exception was our luxury Coalville, eggs like Guylian and Lindt which sold really Leicestershire well. This year, that’s what we’re focusing on. MY MISTAKE WHAT I LEARNED There are so many shops like NOT ASSIGNING Wilko and Poundland nearby STAFF SPECIFIC It’s impossible to compete with them. In- stead, we’ve become the place where people ROLES come for “something a little special”. We’ve introduced premium spirits and stationery to capitalise on this too. It’s very easy not to give people operational responsibility and MY MISTAKE simply be happy if the work gets done somehow. But staf generally have favourite jobs SPREADING they will prioritise, so other things got missed. Stock rota- MYSELF TOO tion was always a big thing for Adam us, for example – if stock isn’t THINLY Hogwood rotated, you get wastage and Budgens of Broadstairs, orders get messed up. Broadstairs, When I was growing my Kent WHAT I LEARNED last business my attention was split two ways. Retail is Give staff assigned what I know and I wanted roles to focus on that, but I was It means they are responsible also really passionate about for their own sections now. Mital foodservice and our store If anything gets missed, I Morar had a restaurant upstairs. It know who is accountable and Store!, had to be one or the other – that means every necessary central Manchester doing both was killing me. task gets done. My family were really sur- MY MISTAKE prised, but when someone When I first started working in the business ofered to buy the business after leaving school I could be hot-headed, I accepted and took six NOT OFFERING but you can’t aford to be like that because months of before opening if you’re rude to one customer they’ll end my new retail-only store. CONSISTENT up telling 10 others what you said. Particu- larly in the era of social media, it’s easy to WHAT I LEARNED CUSTOMER SERVICE complain about bad service publicly and suddenly everybody knows about it. Years I need time to look later, my business is at the heart of the com- at the business munity. The cashflow, the loose ends – everything running a shop WHAT I LEARNED involves needs attention. It’s fine to introduce a cofee If you don’t get on with one shop or food to go, but you customer, you don’t get on also need to delegate respon- Kashif Nadeem with everyone sibility to people you can Premier Blackadder’s Minimart, So sometimes you just have to hold your trust to free yourself to work Greenlaw, Borders tongue in this business. on your business. » 26 9 March 2018 RN SPECIAL REPORT DOH! MY MISTAKE GOING FOR A HIGH-PRICED READING THE SHOPFITTER

With my last store we used one of the most premium shopfitters in Scotland and their service was excellent throughout. I only used them because I was confident we would quickly see a return Ferhan on investment. Even so, Ashiq they were bringing in equip- Levenhall Stores, ment and fixtures I know I Musselburgh, could have bought at a 20% East Lothian discount if I’d bought them myself. There’s no need to spend that money if you’re willing to do a little more work yourself. WHAT I LEARNED Ask yourself if paying a premium is worth it In my other shop we’re about to do another refit. I’m buying the equipment and using a less expensive shopfitter. MULTIPLE BLUNDERS: WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM THE SUPERMARKETS’ ERRORS

Valentine’s Day than men had to the London Evening Standard after Morrisons pay for their wives. A small mistake, 10,000 brand new ‘bags for life’ The blunder A security guard perhaps, but in this era of #metoo were prematurely recycled before in the store’s Holyhead branch and greater debate about women’s the store had even opened. The approached a young woman, rights, this was the wrong mistake at reason? The specially-designed bags accused her of stealing, and asked the wrong time and was reported in featured a map of the island and a her to leave. After 20 minutes of the the Metro, among other newspapers. unique design but unfortunately mis- woman denying it, another member What you can learn Keep up to spelled “Isle of White”. of staff finally came over to tell the date with what matters to your What you can learn Investment in security guard that it was a case of customers. Some shoppers will care new fascias, marketing material and mistaken identity. The guard claimed deeply about equality gender issues, in-store signage isn’t cheap so it’s Tesco he was simply “doing his job” but some will care about their sugar and important to get it right. That means The blunder The company according to the North Wales’ Daily meat intake, but stocking the wrong proof reading, double-checking and had been selling its own-brand Post paper, Nadine Williams is now product could lose these customers getting someone else to have a look. Willow Farm fresh chicken, telling so embarrassed she will not go back for life. customers it was reared “exclusively to the branch. for Tesco”. The only problem was, a What you can learn Make sure you Waitrose Guardian/ITV investigation showed have a protocol in place for dealing Asda The blunder At the beginning of that in some cases the meat was with suspected thieves and train The blunder Asda opening a the year, Waitrose began trending simply repackaged Lidl stock. Tesco your staff on this. Accusing the wrong new store on the Isle of Wight was on Twitter after its card operator conducted its own investigations person could mean losing a shopper originally a story solely for the Verifone failed. According to the into its supplier, 2 Sisters, and found for life. island’s local paper, but it was picked BBC, customers with trolleys full more issues with its supply chain. up by the of shopping were left unable What you can learn Even more Guardian and to pay, with queues quickly than larger stores, local shops rely on Sainsbury’s building up all over the trust. Ensure your suppliers – big and The blunder Sainsbury’s made the country. At one store, one small – can answer questions about headlines last month when it was enterprising manager placated provenance, production and the found to be charging more for cards customers by opening boxes ingredients they use. from women to their husbands this of chocolates and passing RN 9 March 2018 27

MY MISTAKE MY MISTAKE MY MISTAKE NOT NOT ENSURING BUYING PRICEY READING THE YOUR STAFF EARN SPIRITS BY FINE PRINT THEIR WAGES THE CASE

I’ve been caught out a We didn’t always have When we started to look at our few times after not read- as good a control of our gins range a few years ago we ing supplier contracts wage bill as we do now. were stocking an okay range of carefully enough. In one We worked from rotas, for eight gins, but buying in cases situation, I worked with example, but we wouldn’t meant there were half-opened a cofee machine supplier analyse hourly sales and cases all over the stockroom. Dee and what we had agreed compare this to when staf Jack By buying single bottles we’ve initially and what was in are on shift. We didn’t think Matthews been able to grow our range to Sedani the contract were two dif- Dave about the mix of staf we Bradley’s 30 and reduce our stock hold- One Stop, ferent things. That meant Hiscutt had in, either. This was Supermarket ing. If we were going to stock Matlock, Quorn Derbyshire we weren’t getting the Londis some time ago, but the that range by buying full cases profit per cup we were ex- Weymouth, changes we made then are Leicestershire we would be tying up thou- pecting and were dealing Dorset even more important now sands of pounds in stock. with diferent minimum because of the National Liv- cup sales. ing Wage. WHAT I LEARNED Buying single gin WHAT I LEARNED WHAT I LEARNED bottles worked so I now take the time We started to well we now look for to read through forecast our sales other areas where everything and wage spend this can work too carefully and compare them For example, our fruit and veg Just because you trust a to each other supplier will be flexible and sell handshake or are deal- Analysing the business is so us 20 grapefruits for a week, ing with a trusted brand important to make sure you whereas if we bought a full doesn’t mean things can’t profit. Our business runs a case of 48 our wastage would be go wrong. lot better today as a result. very high.

them round while explaining granules the reason for the problem. in 2015 What you can learn In after they fairness, Waitrose can’t be were found held liable for the mistake to contain paint of Verifone. Lessons can, thinner. however, be learned. Apart What you can learn The from the great example of quick maxim “the customer is always thinking from that store manager the right” is even truer when you know best lesson from this experience is your store is in the wrong. Do double-charged for their shopping, Co-op customer reported to the how vital it is to work with a reliable whatever it takes to win back a once- it caused a storm. A number said Guardian that they had parked in card operator. loyal customer. the error had caused them to the dark, shopped at the Co-op go overdrawn and despite the branch, then returned to find a £100 company returning the funds fine on their window. The Guardian Lidl within 24 hours, there was highlighted a widespread issue The blunder Lidl shoppers love the understandable outrage. which was catching many customers area in the centre of these stores What you can learn The fact out – especially the elderly: the with an eccentric mix of top deals. Aldi rectified the issue within need for each shopper to input their But customers at the Bath store were 24 hours is impressive, but registration numbers on computer left unhappy when they picked up should it have happened at all? tablet. The Guardian finished its low-price kingsize bed mattresses Stores taking payment from the report: “we assume you’ve decided which were wrongly labelled as poorest customers have a great to shop elsewhere”. double bed ones. The problem made Aldi responsibility and you need to have What you can learn If you plan to the headlines after the supermarket The blunder It is a well-known checks, balances and procedures in introduce new systems, services initially refused to pick up a fact that bears repeating: many place to protect them. or technology, make sure you have customer’s opened mattress which shoppers using discount stores staff available and trained to talk no longer fitted in their car. In its are living on very tight budgets. customers through the changes. coverage, The Sun reminded readers So when Metro reported 6,000 Co-op The Co-op eventually did this, but that Lidl had also had to recall gravy Aldi customers were accidently The blunder An East of England it was too late. l 28 9 March 2018 RN PRICEMARKING Why is it still relevant? Pricemarking has journeyed from controversial margin killer to vital convenience staple in recent years – but why does it remain investigates such a central industry strategy year after year?Priyanka Jethwa

Reason 2 Even the most much-loved brands Reason 1 The effect of are embracing pricemarks “Burton’s Biscuit Company was Having a wide range of pricemarked items pricemarking among the first companies to intro- tells your shoppers something about your stretches beyond duce pricemarked packs,” says Man- whole business the category it is used in, suppliers dy Bobrowski, marketing director Ofering a varied range of pricemarked They can be at Burton’s Biscuits. The company say items can help convince shoppers the rest of continues to show commitment your store is good value for money, encour- beneficial to the strategy with pricemarked aging them to come back. Lucozade versions of Jammie Dodgers, Mary- Ribena Suntory is one company for sales land Cookies and Wagon Wheels. which has shown a commitment to The company says pricemarking pricemarking and its sales director elsewhere in its products is a great way to drive Scott Meredith says this is a key store too impulse purchases and, therefore, part of the company’s strategy: retailers’ profits. “They not only demonstrate value to your soft drinks shoppers but can be beneficial for sales elsewhere in store too.”

Burton’s Biscuits was Reason 3 one of the first firms to use Customers are actively searching for pricemarked items pricemarks There can be a temptation to believe that pricemarking encourages shoppers to buy on an almost subconscious level but research commissioned by Global Brands (which manufactures VK, Hooch and Flare pre-mix cocktails) shows 82% of shoppers Reason 4 are actively searching for pricemarked Pocket money and pricemarks packs and 61% believe them to ofer bet- remain a natural mix ter value. This insight has guided its own strategy for independents, according to With pennies burning in Research Christian Saginson, their pockets, children have suggests 82% brand controller at long seen their local shop as the best place to spend their of shoppers the company: “The Global Brands range pocket money. Pricemarked seek out sweets, such as Swizzels’ Su- pricemarks of pricemarked packs are available solely per 6 10p range, ﬁt the bill and in independent manufacturer Swizzels has stores, setting worked hard to create a range of them apart from material to help stores capital- multiples grocers ise. Mark Walker, sales director and larger stores.” at Swizzles, says the dump bins the company has made available are “guaranteed to catch the eye of shoppers”. » #IAA18 UNCOVER YOUR SHOP’S MAXIMUM POTENTIAL

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Retail Study Day 2017 Limited places. Act now by calling 020 7689 3384 to register your name.

RNRetail page Study ad.indd Day RN.indd 1 1 05/03/2018 09:5710:13 30 9 March 2018 RN PRICEMARKING Reason 5 Reason 6 Retailers are Retailers can use their own skills and knowledge to drive sales Suppliers are bringing further taking the logic of pricemarked options to fast- growing categories such as chilled To further catch the attention of shoppers, having clearly sign- pricemarking to posted promotions alongside pricemarks is crucial. Bob Sykes, of create their own Chilled produce is increasingly Denmore Premier Food & Wine Store in Denbighshire, says he promotions considered a must-stock category is currently running a deal on four bottles of Volvic 500ml for £1, for store owners and the top suppli- and promotions like these encourage customers to explore the ers are already up to speed with the rest of the store and increase overall basket spend. “The key is importance of pricemarking. Rus- getting the display right – I double it up by placing items on pro- tlers is one such brand and Angela motion both at the front of the store and dotted around,” he says. Daulby, channel director at Kepak, says the company understands the “key role” pricemarks play in the market. This is a strategy the company expects to continue with in the long term. “The price sensitivity shown by shoppers is set to continue and retailers will beneﬁt by Reason 7 ofering pricemarked products with Pricemarking has sustained, heavyweight marketing Pricemarking is going premium less stigma for support,” she says. Premium brands have been creep- premium brands The key is ing into the world of pricemarking for a long time – as early as getting the 2013, Pernod Ricard released display right a pricemarked version of Absolut vodka. Since then the trend has spread, however, suggesting that the pricemark has well and truly lost any stigma which might have stopped premium brands using it in the past. Rustlers, for one, has looked to attract new customers with its Gourmet range but has kept steadfastly to its pricemarking strategy. Both the Classic Burger and the BBQ Burger are available with a £3 pricemark.

Pricemarks appear across the portfolios The price of big brands sensitivity such as Mars shown by shoppers Reason 9 Pricemarking has gone veggie is set to More of us are choosing meat-free continue options (up to 10m customers according to Kantar), so ofering a great range of vegetarian options is more and more vital for stores Reason 8 of all sizes. An additional benefit Pricemarks have adapted alongside shopper behaviour of switching away from meat can The rise in popularity of staying in – whether with friends or be saved pennies and Quorn is one family – means consumers are looking now more than ever company which is using this to its for sharing pricemarked bags of confectionery and blocks of advantage, providing price- chocolate, industry insiders say. Sharing confectionery bags marked stock to the conve- like Mars’ Maltesers and M&M’s, available in £1 pricemark treat nience channel – particu- bags, remain in growth in a tough market for confectionery larly as big brand vegetarian and the company is positioning them as the “perfect treat for a options have long been sold night in” which also ofers value for money. Sarah Nandhra, of at a discount at stores such as Loco Carlos in Leeds, says confectionery sharing bags that are Iceland. Quorn’s Crispy Nuggets pricemarked at £1 are extremely popular, especially since she and Quorn Pieces, both price- has three schools nearby. marked at £2.29, are two great examples. RN page ad.indd 1 01/03/2018 12:32 32 9 March 2018 RN INDUSTRY PROFILE Molson Coors With the newly acquired Aspall brand in its stable, Molson Coors has a year of investment, innovation and marketing planned. Managing director Phil Whitehead tells Priyanka Jethwa how independents who offer the right range of mainstream, premium and craft ciders can cash in RN What are the biggest alcohol marketing team is working with trends independent retailers Aspall’s marketing team to make should focus on in 2018? this happen. PW This year, consumers are looking for distinctive and different styles RN Why is it important for retailers of drinks, and that is particularly to focus on constantly improving true of cider. People are looking for their alcohol offering? a variety of styles and tastes, just as PW It’s really important retailers we saw in the craft gin market. But, have the right range in store and while craft is important, making make sure they are looking at sure retailers have a brilliant the brands that will make them everyday offer in the mainstream successful. That’s especially true category is also key. with mainstream brands such PW Retailers need guarantee they as Carling, which is significantly are stocking the products that are RN How will the acquisition of outperforming its competitors in going to be successful in the long- Aspall benefit independent the category. Likewise, independent term. One of the exciting things retailers? retailers need to make sure they with craft is that we are seeing PW Aspall is a tremendous brand have premium and craft products a lot of new brands and products in the way it can premiumise which aren’t just going to take up People are coming into the market, but a independent retailers’ cider space, but be actively purchased by number of those brands don’t get offering. Molson Coors can offer consumers. looking for repeat purchase, so going too far retailers the ability to push the down the ‘craft’ route is something brand in store and get it into more RN What is the biggest mistake a variety of retailers need to watch out for. consumers’ hands, because of the retailers need to watch out for in Working with brands that have scale we have as a company. We 2018? styles longevity is the best thing in the always had a good cider portfolio long term – that would be my advice within Molson Coors before, with to independents. drinks like Rekorderlig, but what we were missing was a cider with RN Looking ahead to the rest of provenance and heritage. That is Company CV 2018, what are going to be the biggest challenges the alcohol why Aspall was attractive to us, as **Company Molson Coors ** industry is going to face? the longest serving cider brand in Managing director UK and Ireland the UK. Phil Whitehead PW Consumers are choosing to Profile Molson Coors is one of the drink less alcohol than they RN What can retailers expect to see largest global brewers, with an have traditionally, and choosing from you this year as you work to extensive portfolio including Coors different things at different times redefine the cider category? Light, Carling and Rekorderlig. of the week, so this is one thing PW This year is all about integrating Latest news The company recently acquired Aspall Cyder retailers need to be aware of. the Aspall business into Molson Limited, a move which will help it tap into the trend for I would encourage independents to Coors, and we need to put some consumers demanding more premium ciders and heritage focus on the range they are offering capital on the side to invest in the brands. and make sure they are stocking next round of innovation. We’re brands that are well invested in, also going to spend some time on because these will be the ones that brand positioning. The brand needs ** ** will be there the longest and appeal some investment and Molson Coors’ to consumers. RN 9 March 2018 33 COLUMNIST

Guest columnist Kashif Nadeem Snow business: show goes on While snow gripped much of the UK last week, one retailer found himself unable to reach his store for six days. Kashif Nadeem Locals battled to open the explains what happened roads around Greenlaw

or six days last week I was Another member of staf kept our “Wow, it’s been done up”. We kept our unable to reach my store. It lies new café open and we sold a large prices as they were and customers in Greenlaw on the Scottish number of bacon rolls, chicken nug- were really impressed with the range F borders and was totally cut of gets and hot drinks to kids going out and presentation of the store. by the snow. to play in the snow. As the snow eased on Sunday, Even when I finally managed to The young lads who do the odd Booker managed to get through with get through – on Monday – the snow shift with us went out to check on our Thursday delivery using a 4x4 that had been cleared on the roads elderly customers, took them soup van. We’ve not long re-joined Premier nearby was higher than my car. and anything else they needed. I also and I don’t think the service Booker Locals told me the last time any- gave elderly customers priority when We showed provided us would have happened thing like this happened was 2010, it came to essentials like milk. local with another group. Not only did our but even then the snow wasn’t as The community came together, order come through, but 180 cases of severe. too. Lorry drivers – one from New- residents we bestsellers were delivered, too. Depot So what happened? First, it meant castle and another from as far away staf knew we would have been selling that for the six days the village was as Devon – were stuck and unable to were there out of products and told us to use what totally cut of. No deliveries were get to Edinburgh, so locals put them for them we needed – that is going the extra possible apart from milk from a local up for four nights. mile. The next day our Monday deliv- farm whose driver managed to get This “pulling together” spirit and could ery came on time and now we’re fully through in a 4x4 vehicle. wasn’t on show everywhere. I heard stocked again. Obviously, you don’t expect to that one shop, in a village 11 miles meet their The last week has put a marker operate without deliveries for that away, put prices up sharply. A loaf of needs when down. We showed local residents we long, but our range and availability bread in their store was £3 and a large were there for them and could meet held up, thanks, in part, to the huge carton of milk was £5. they really their needs for nearly a week when refit we undertook late last year to ex- That annoyed a lot of people, they really needed us. tend our store and shelf space. I just whereas locals in our village were needed us imposed one restriction during the coming into our store for the first Kashif Nadeem is the owner of Premier severe weather – one loaf of bread and time since our refit and saying, Blackadder’s Minimart in Greenlaw one carton of milk per household. As I was unable to get to the shop I had to rely on my staf – and they were amazing. They were so good that when the National Living Wage rises again next month I will be adding a further increase on top. Two members of staf did eight- hour shifts each day to keep the shop open from 6am to 8pm. Being from the area, they could also use their local knowledge about what people needed. They brought a stock of snow Kashif’s staff made sure shovels out from storage onto the his business was open for shop floor – I’d forgotten we had them – and we sold 50 in one day. customers throughout 34 9 March 2018 RN THIS WEEK IN MAGAZINES My week in magazines

Tim Murray Magazines reporter [email protected] GREAT WAY TO GET FAMILIES READING

In all my time covering the magazine beat for RN, I’ve never received a press release about bumper packs or polybagging two or more magazines together. That was until the new National Geographic initiative, which ofers an interesting twist on the concept. Rather than the more traditional idea of featuring a similar title aimed at woo- ing new readers, as often used by women’s titles, or the “if you love this, you’ll enjoy this” plan – one that works for, say, Empire and Q – it is billing itself as a family ofering. It pairs its Launch of the week popular children’s title, National Geographic Kids, with the well-established monthly that launched the natural history brand. It is designed to entice parents and children, ART AND SOUL FOR KIDS and, for retailers, straddles a raft of themes, taking in everything from news and current afairs to natural history and children’s. IS SUCH FUN TO LEARN As well as boosting both magazines, it has, if successful, the potential to be broadened and It’s not all about computer games and the internet for today’s adopted by other magazines and publishers. youngsters – traditional activities like art and crafts are growing The concept of pairing grown-up magazines and their junior versions is appealing too, in popularity. This new monthly is just for them… because it gets youngsters into the habit of CHILDREN’S love of a good arts and crafts buying and reading magazines. magazine knows no bounds, and the latest As a parent, I can see the value in this – my ofshoot from the ever-growing Fun to youngest son will soon be graduating to “real” Learn Friends stable – Fun to Learn Friends newspapers after spending months devouring Art – aims to capitalise on that. It is a FUN TO LEARN First News. Like his old man, he’ll soon end up monthly aimed at the core market for its FRIENDS ART a rabid news reader. other titles – boys and girls aged between On sale 14 March three and seven – and includes a range of Frequency monthly Opportunity: dual siting simple art and craft projects for pre-school- Price £3.99 ers and infants (and their parents). There Distributor Seymour Try racking the National Geographic is also a giant sticker sheet and a pull-out Display with Fun bumper pack across the news and card activity featured within its pages. to Learn Friends, current aﬀairs section, alongside Many of the activities revolve around fa- CBeebies Art, BBC National Geographic and other miliar ﬁgures such as Paw Patrol, PJ Masks Toybox similar magazines, as well as with and Peppa Pig characters. children’s factual publications. RN 9 March 2018 35

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BIG & LITTLE CROCHET l This new partwork launch from Hachette sits On sale 7 March somewhere between the craft magazine sector and Frequency fortnightly women’s interest. Each issue comes with patterns, Price 99p, then £2.99, step-by-step instructions and a ball of yarn. then £4.99 from issue 3 l The launch is being supported by a £1m market- Distributor Marketforce Display with New Art of ing campaign, with further social media activity. Crochet

MAGIKI CUDDLE BUNNIES On sale 7 March l Each issue comes with a plush cuddly toy. The Frequency weekly Bestsellers magazine itself features adventures involving the Price £1.99, then £3.99 Pre-school Magiki Cuddle Bunnies crew. Distributor Marketforce l The launch is supported by TV advertising, digi- Display with Paw Patrol, Title On sale In tal marketing and social media activity. In-store Shopkins, Hello Kitty date stock PoS is available. 1 Peppa Pig Bag of Fun 22.03 2 CBeebies Weekly 07.03 3 BBC Toybox 21.03 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 4 CBeebies Art 21.03 5 Paw Patrol 14.03 FAMILY On sale 7 March 6 Fun to Learn Peppa Pig 15.03 l This package includes the standard National Frequency monthly 7 CBeebies Special 21.03 Geographic title and its junior equivalent National Price £7.99 Geographic Kids, at a saving of 20%. Distributor Seymour 8 Showcase 07.03 l It includes all the covermounts for the chil- Display with National 9 Fantastic Funworld 09.03 dren’s version Geographic Monthly 10 Thomas & Friends 21.03 11 Milkshake 29.03 12 Octonauts 21.03 13 Blaze 08.03 ELLE 14 Fun to Learn Friends 08.03 l This issue comes with a free Warehouse gift- On sale 7 March 15 Rescue Bots 29.03 card, which publisher Hearst believes will drive Frequency monthly sales. Price £4.40 Data from independent stores supplied by l Its cover features Alicia Vikander, who has the Distributor Frontline starring role in the latest big screen iteration of Display with Vogue, Grazia SYMBOL KEY Tomb Raider.

Price Launch Frequency Bumper WONDERLAND change change issue l As spring arrives, so do the seasonal specials of On sale 9 March the style magazines, including the spring issue of Frequency monthly Wonderland, with Miley Cyrus on the cover. Price £6.95 l Inside the magazine, the outspoken and very Distributor Seymour tabloid friendly singer holds forth on everything Display with i-d, Love, One Special Free Competition from Elton John to pigs and Hillary Clinton. Vogue shot issue gift 36 9 March 2018 RN THIS WEEK IN MAGAZINES BREATHE NATURE Expert advice JOURNAL Julie On sale 8 March l This special edition of the popular title aims to Frequency one shot Jones help readers connect with the natural world. Managing director, Price £7.99 Redan Publishing l In keeping with the Breathe ethos, the issue Distributor Seymour provides “guidance, inspiration, reﬂection and Display with Breathe, Teen creativity”. Breathe, Simple Things t a time when parents and children are being encouraged to cut down on screen time on smartphones, iPads, tablets and other devices HOLIDAY GOODIE PACK and concentrate on spending time Atogether as a family, the pre-school magazine FOR GIRLS On sale out now sector can really beneﬁt from the wholesome l From the makers of My Beautiful Princess, this Frequency one shot reputation of print-based media. bumper pack of magazines and goodies arrives Price £3.90 As a pre-school specialist, we felt that a well in time for the Easter school holidays. Distributor Marketforce dedicated craft magazine where children, l Includes two magazines and nine free gifts, Display with Pink, My parents, carers and families can spend quality including lip shine and a colouring activity set. Little Pony, Moana time together, creating and learning alongside their favourite characters, would be a welcome addition to the pre-school sector. Fun To learn Friends Art stands out from the crowd due to our unique mix of the hot- MAGICAL WORLD test characters and top-quality covermount gifts. HOLIDAY SPECIAL On sale out now No other children’s magazine contains l More holiday fun for the Easter break from the Frequency one shot crafts based around hugely popular charac- team behind My Beautiful Princess, which has Price £3.90 ters like Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol and PJ Masks also just published its latest monthly issue. Distributor Marketforce like this title does. l This special includes two magazines and free Display with Pink, My Once inside the magazine, we hope that gifts, including a tiara and lip shine. Little Pony, Moana Redan’s reputation for the highest quality editorial and great value for money will shine through for our readers. SPECIALIST CHOICE DANIEL MCCABE, MAGALLERIA, BATH Our strategy Who buys your titles? SIDETRACKED Children, parents, grandparents and carers Who buys it? of young children.

When we get a new issue of Sidetracked in it goes like the How should they be promoted in store? clappers. It’s an extreme sports magazine and a mixture of customers buy it, including people who are quite ac- These titles should be placed at child tive, but it’s taken over from height, next to other Fun To Learn titles. the armchair travel magazines Retailers should make an efort to keep the for people who want to look at children’s section as tidy and alluring as things they might never do. possible.

How are you investing in independents? How do you display it? We’ve got a good window We take part in a variety of promotions throughout the year, with various “clubs”. On sale 14 June display – we use music stands so we can open the pages and For the launch of Fun To Learn Friends Art Frequency three a year show oﬀ the contents. We had a we are investing in a distribution pack- Price £11 spread for this issue and made a age with the Menzies Super League club of Distributor Sidetracked little feature of it. independents.

COMING UP IN NEXT WEEK’S RN How Josie Chamberlin turned her store into a wine-lovers’ paradise Plus, how can you manage your local produce range to maximise profits, RN takes a look at the core cakes and biscuits category, and benchmark your red wine prices RN 9 March 2018 37

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Partworks Collectables

Title No Pts £ Title No Pts £ Title Starter Cards Title Starter Cards

DeAgostini Hachette Panini Topps Art Gallery 4 60 8.99 2000 AD Cars 3 sticker collection 2.99 0.60 Journey to Star Wars 4.99 1.00 British Steam Railways 4 50 1.99 The Ultimate Collection 15 80 9.99 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Match Attax 2017/18 4.99 1.00 Build Your Own R2-D2 62 100 8.99 Art of Cross Stitch 63 90 2.99 Find Them Sticker Collection 2.99 0.50 Num Noms sticker cll’n 2.99 0.50 Classic Dinky Toys Collection 6 60 11.99 Art of Quilting 115 120 3.99 FIFA 365 Trading Cards 4.99 1.00 Premier League Enhancing Your Mind, Art Therapy 156 180 2.99 Football 2017 collection 2.99 0.50 Sticker collection 1.99 0.50 Body, Spirit 62 120 3.99 Assassins Creed: The Guardians of Shimmer and Shine My Animal Farm 57 60 5.99 Official Collection 28 80 9.99 the Galaxy volume 2 2.99 0.50 Sticker collection 3.00 0.60 Jazz at 33 and Third RPM 57 70 14.99 Big & Little Crochet 1 72 0.99 Invizimals Trading Cards 3.99 1.00 Shopkins World Vacation 3.00 0.60 Star Wars Helmet Coll’n 57 60 9.99 Classic Routemaster 8 130 8.99 Paw Patrol ‘A Year of Star Wars: The Last Jedi Adventures’ Stickers 2.99 0.50 Zippo Collection 66 60 19.99 Dr Who Complete History 66 80 9.99 Sticker collection 3.00 0.60 Draw The Marvel Way 58 100 4.99 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Adrenalyn UEFA Champions League Eaglemoss Judge Dredd Mega Collection 83 80 9.99 XL Trading Card Game 5.99 1.50 Sticker collection 4.00 0.60 UEFA Women’s Euro DC Comics Graphic Novel 68 100 9.99 Marvel’s Mightiest Heroes 110 112 9.99 WWE Slam Attax 10 2017 Stickers 2.99 0.60 Game of Thrones 51 60 8.99 Transformers GN Collection 32 80 9.99 Trading Card Game 4.99 1.00 Beauty & the Beast My Little Pony Warhammer 40 80 9.99 Sticker Collection 2.99 0.50 DeAgostini Colouring Adventures 53 80 3.99 Panini Magiki Ponies 2.50 Star Trek Ships 120 130 10.99 Magic Box F1 Collection 51 60 10.99 Piranhas & Co 2.50 Zomlings Series 6 0.50

Star Monsters 1.00

Newspapers

Daily newspapers price/margin pence/margin % Saturday newspapers Sunday newspapers Sun 50p 11.15p 22.3% Sun 70p 14.98p 21.4% Sun £1.10 23.1p 21% Mirror 70p 14.98p 21.4% Mirror £1.20 24.72p 20.6% Sunday Mirror £1.50 31.5p 21% Mirror (Scotland) 75p 16.05p 21.4% Mirror (Scotland) £1.20 24.72p 20.6% People £1.50 31.5p 21% Daily Record 75p 14.98p 21.4% Daily Record £1.10 22.6p 20.6% Star Sunday 90p 19.89p 22.10% Daily Star 30p 7.26p 24.2% Daily Star 50p 12.085p 24.17% Sunday Sport £1 24.3p 24.3% Daily Mail 65p 14.5p 22.31% Daily Mail £1 21p 21% Mail on Sunday £1.80 37.8p 21% Express 55p 13.31p 24.2% Express 80p 17.152p 21.44% Sunday Mail £1.80 37.8p 21% Express (Scotland) 50p 12.10p 24.2% Express (Scotland) 80p 18p 22.5% Sunday Telegraph £2 45.5p 22.75% Telegraph £1.80 38.7p 21.5% Telegraph £2.20 49.5p 22.5% Sunday Times £2.70 56.7p 21% Times £1.60 34.4p 21.5% Times £1.70 36.55p 21.5% Observer £3 73.5p 24.5% FT £2.70 54p 20% FT £3.50 79.1p 22.6% Scotland on Sunday £1.70 39.95p 23% Guardian £2 44p 22% Guardian £2.90 63.8p 22% Racing Post £2.60 61p 23.46% i 60p 13.2p 22% i Saturday 80p 17.2p 21.5% Sunday Herald (Scotland) £1.70 35.7p 21% i (N. Ireland) 60p 13.2p 22% i (N. Ireland) 80p 17.2p 21.5% Sunday Express £1.40 29.65p 21.18% Racing Post £2.30 54.0p 23.48% Racing Post £2.60 61p 23.46% Sunday Post £1.60 33.6p 21% Herald (Scotland) £1.30 29.90p 23% Herald (Scotland) £1.70 39.1p 23% Scotsman £1.60 36.0p 22.5% Scotsman £1.95 43.88p 22.5%

Weight Watchers 3-417-18 March December Scale of third-party advertising insert payments Total Supplements Ad inserts Number of Heaviest Insert Original Mail Mirror News Express Guardian Telegraph weight weight weight Inserts ad insert weight scheme UK Sunday Times 1,030g965g 490g530g 60g10g 31 50g10g Cumulative? no yes no no no no no TelegraphDaily Telegraph 760g995g 160g510g 20g0g 02 25g0g 0-69g n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a FinancialObserver Times 770g575g 390g30g 10g0g 01 10g 70-100g 1.5p 2.5p 2.57p 2.7p 2.93p 2.75p 2.93p 101-200g 2p 3p 3.36p 3.3p 3.65p 3.35p 3.65p TimesSun 565g715g 220g130g 100g60g 5 35g65g 201-300g 4p 5p 6.09p 5.5p 6.26p 5.75p 6.26p GuardianDaily Mail 650g515g 440g310g 30g75g 43 35g55g 301-400g 5p 7p 7.43p 6.7p 7.06p 7p 7.06p DailyMail on Mail Sunday 405g645g 395g225g 125g10g 61 10g55g 401-500g * 7.5p * * * * * MailGuardian on Sunday 610g370g 240g350g 20g15g 2 10g Over 500g * 8p * * * * * The Times – – – – – Observer 605g 160g 60g 2 50g * By negotiation Insertion payment guide Per copy sold Guardian Newspapers =2p. News UK =2p. Associated Newspapers =2p. Express Newspapers =2p. Telegraph Group =2p. Per copy supplied Independent News & Media =2p. Financial Times =2p. Mirror Group Newspapers =2p CLASSIFIED39 22 December9 March 20182016 RN

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9 March.indd 39 05/03/2018 16:47 To advertise in the RN classified section call 020 7689 3366 or email [email protected] RNRetail 229 NewsagentMarch December 2018 2016 25th March 2016 (Please mention RN when replying to the advertisements) 40

PHOTOCOPIERS

To advertise in the RN classified section please contact Khi Johnson:

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PROPERTY

Buy businesses. Quality Shop, East Barnet Sell businesses. Leasehold £90,000 • Gross weekly sales c. £7,000-8,000 Grow businesses. • Commissions received c. £10,000 T: 0203 846 0615 2411565 Premier Millbridge, Plymouth

Christie & Co is a specialist property adviser in the retail, hospitality, Freehold £375,000 childcare, care, leisure and medical sectors. With ofces across the • Established freehold convenience UK, we focus on advisory, consultancy, valuation services, brokerage store and can provide access to fnance across our key sectors. • Fully managed operation T: 01392 285 600 Business. Built around you. 3217050

Deeside Deli & Garden Shop, Ford News, Stowmarket Aberdeenshire

Freehold £219,995 Freehold £375,000 • Net annual sales £315,927 • Established business with further • Picturesque tourist village potential T: 0131 557 6666 • 3 bedroom owner’s accommodation Bearwood Post Ofce & General 5218564 T: 01473 256 588 High Felling News/PO, Gateshead Stores, Bearwood, Dorset 1418152 Freehold guide £650,000 Leasehold £99,950 • Prominent A road position, considerable • PO Income 2017 £52,000 & rising potential • Average weekly sales c. £7,500 • Large plot with parking for 12 vehicles T: 0191 222 1740 T: 01962 844 455 6410927 3818117

christie.com

9 March.indd 40 05/03/2018 16:47 ^Cadbury is the UK’s biggest chocolate brand, Nielsen, Total Market including discounters, value share, 27.01.18 *Non-pmp versions are available, customers are free to set their own prices.

RN page ad.indd 1 23/02/2018 13:24