11.03.2016 YOUR 21 DAY ACTION PLAN RN’s guide to living with the new wage NATIONAL LIVING WAGE Page 28 » In the fast lane ‘Freshening up our forecourt grew veg sales 270%’ Page 26 » NEWS ● CONVENIENCE ● PROFIT www.betterretailing.com ● £2.30 ‘Taxed to death’ retailers face 20% REFERENDUM MP: Brexit business rate hike would cut Expert warns Budget tax hikes and rate relief loss will close shops. Page 5 » red tape WHOLESALE for indies ‘We’ll cut Leaving EU would save retailers millions, says costs to employment minister ease your Priti Patel. Page 4 » wage rise’ MARKETING Blakemore’s Russell Grant shares plans 23% boost to grow business for from Irish retailers. Page 6 » Star price NEWSPAPERS cut promo New Day Stores welcome new readers as 50p delay publisher retains 25p trial extended, full price margin. but Scottish copies Page 7 » added. Page 5 » Street smart Vol 127 No 10 Shoppers are being invited to take a virtual tour of Da- NFRN calls on FOR TRADE USE ONLY vid Worsfold’s revamped Farrants of Cobham store after the retailer publishers to help spent £300 to have his business featured on Google Street View. The 10 fight Menzies carriage Surrey retailer believes the move, which will allow customers to charge increase. browse the aisles on computers and smart devices, will help Page 4 grow exposure and footfall at the business. » RN ad template.indd 21 3/1/16 6:03 PM Retail Newsagent 11 March 2016 3 When I visited Mo Razzaq in his shop last Friday, he was clear about his theme for the NFRN Scottish conference he was preparing to chair - retailers must be proactive, change with the times and embrace busi- ness opportunities. It’s a mantra he has adopted in his own store, and speaker after speaker at the event aimed to inspire delegates facing a combination RETAIL NEWSAGENT NEWS ● CONVENIENCE ● PROFIT of anti-alcohol campaigns, tobacco legislation and increasing costs to fight back to protect their stores. MÜller Wiseman’s commercial director Sandy Wilkie told how his You can’t change the family’s farm stayed strong by expanding from 20 cows to 350 as farm- law, but as Mo Razzaq ing methods changed. You must change with the times or get left be- hind, he warned. told me, you can find Lawyer Stephen McGowan urged alcohol retailers to respond to the positive ways tough legislative climate by highlighting the vital role a great local to adapt to it store plays in its community. You have to shout about this loudly at government level, he said. News UK’s Greg Deacon focused on in-store opportunities, urging news sellers to make papers more visible to drive sales and take advan- tage of the footfall they attract to encourage cross-category purchases. Mo himself, meanwhile, encouraged delegates to create events around everything from Easter to football’s European Championships. Every week in RN you’ll find advice like this, and this issue is no ex- CHRIS ROLFE Associate editor ception. With 21 days to go until the National Living Wage, our fea- @ChrisRolfeRN tures team has called on trade experts to suggest practical ideas you can try immediately to help offset this cost. You can’t change the law, but as Mo told me, you can find positive ways to adapt to it. 26 CONTENTS 38 NEXT WEEK NEWS me £2,500 Wage by Menzies his unconventional 4 INDUSTRY NEWS Publishers PayPoint release managing director Mark c-store exeperience must help ‘to stop the fee, says retailer Cassie in last week’s RN 18 YOUR STOCK, YOUR SAY 22 INDUSTRY PROFILE FEATURES industry collapsing’ Do you think tobacco Got Capital director Alex 28 NATIONAL LIVING WAGE 6 BUSINESS NEWS New With only weeks licensing would help Afek, below left POINT OF DIFFERENCE 1 Blakemore boss’s pledge to curb illicit trading? 24 PRICEWATCH to go until the improve efficiency And what do you do in UK bottled water introduction of the What’s it like to run an 7 NEWSTRADE Irish daily your store to encourage prices National Living in-store deli or bakery promo boost for indies children to eat healthily? 25 THE ENTREPRENEURS Wage we find out counter in a modern 8 PRODUCT NEWS Casillero 19 COLUMNIST What you can how retail experts c-store? del Diable sales up, with Prevention is better than learn from the 28 around the UK are more increases targeted cure when it comes world’s best getting prepared 12 REGIONAL NEWS Promote to employee fraud, business brains. 34 E-CIGS community values, writes guest 22 This week, Make money from this retailers urged by lawyer columnist Tim Roman increasingly-lucrative 14 NFRN DISTRICT COUNCILS Harvey Abramovic category West Midlands, Eastern 20 LETTERS 38 PREVIEW Readers 26 RETAILER POINT OF DIFFERENCE 2 Counties and East respond to PROFILE THIS WEEK Midlands DC reports comments How What do you need to made on IN MAGAZINES do to develop your stores’ COMMENT & customers carriage at Justin 39 ROUND-UP Why it can pay reputation for specialist ANALYSIS charges and the Taylor’s Spar to be different tobacco 17 YOUR ISSUE NFRN saved National Living store enjoy 40 FOR YOUR SHELVES “CUSTOMERS MAY WELL BUY SOMETHING ELSE IF YOU’RE OUT OF STOCK, BUT THEY MIGHT NOT COME BACK” – RAY MONELLE OF ORCHARD NEWS, WESTON-SUPER-MARE, EXPLAINS HOW ONE DAILY TASK CAN HELP PROTECT YOUR SALES Page 28 » 4 11 March 2016 Retail Newsagent Follow RN f on Facebook facebook.com/retailnewsagent to have your say on the latest news Smith’s in Rajesh hopes for a ‘Happy Easter’ firing line thanks to the IAA Retailers in the West Mid- lands are calling for refunds West Sussex retailer Rajesh and further explanation af- Nayi said he has increased ter “issues” at Smiths News’ business at his Broadfield Birmingham depot resulted Newsagents and Post Office in missing papers and late by following advice from deliveries. Newtrade’s business develop- Charlie Ganatra, of ment programme, the Inde- Ganatras News in Coventry, pendent Achievers Academy received his papers late on (IAA). The store owner said he Tuesday, with 65 papers has used IAA category guides missing. He said: “I lost to help him grow sales around customers and had to deliver seasonal events, with his papers myself. The same Halloween sales up by 20% happened on 15 February.” last year. He is now looking Narinder Sungu, of Nick’s to replicate this success with News in Birmingham, said: the launch of an Easter egg “I want to know what’s go- promotion and quiz for ing on. Many retailers in the customers this month. area have been afected.” A Smiths News spokes- man said: “We experienced some issues in our Birming- MP and retail consultant say out vote would reduce red tape But exit worries wholesale expert ham distribution overnight resulting in late deliveries to some of our customers. We are working to minimise any further impact, and EU exit would be positive apologised to those afected.” The NFRN has backed retailers’ calls saying it fears it is the start of “wider prob- for indies, says Priti Patel lems in the supply chain”. by Steven Lambert Employment minister laws and do more to support power and cut down on red Priti Patel said Brexit could small businesses and inde- tape,” he said. A retail consultant and MP save UK businesses and pendent retailers.” However, wholesale con- Ready to supporting the Brexit move families as much as £350m Retail consultant John sultant David Gilroy warned claim independents will every week, which she Hoerner believes a move leaving the EU could give auto enrol? face less red tape and have claimed is being used to away from the EU will give supermarkets an advantage The Pensions Regulator has more influence to shape fund EU “pet projects”. independent retailers more over independent stores. warned retailers that failure UK legislation with a move “Small businesses are hit authority to convince MPs “Experts are saying that to plan for the arrival of pen- away from Brussels. hard by red tape from Brus- to address retail issues such if we come out, the pound sion auto-enrolment will The comments came as sels and by voting to leave as tobacco legislation. will struggle in the cur- risk a heavy fine that few prime minister David Cam- the EU they will take back “The real issue with the rency markets. This could stores can aford. eron last month announced control over these laws,” EU for independent retailers lead to import costs going It comes as retailers a referendum to determine she said. is that they don’t really have up and inflation, which will prepare to bridge the extra whether the UK stays or “After voting to leave the any influence over it, and pass through shops to con- costs from the introduction leaves the EU, with voting EU, we can start the process I think a move away from sumers and could depress of the National Living Wage due to take place on 23 June. of reforming these costly it would give them more demand,” he said. in three weeks. The regulator said it will write to all employees 12 months before their compli- ance staging date. Publishers must ‘help save industry’ “Those who leave things Publishers need to step April to ofset a propor- increased carriage charges “Independent retailers to the last minute risk non- in and help an “industry tion of its additional wage by 3.75% to cover costs this may be happy to pay the compliance which could in danger of collapsing,” costs.