For the well-known Scotland-based Cheema retailer family, the 31st Asian Trader Awards held earlier this year was truly special. Anand Cheema, who opened his store in August 2020, won the Impulse Retailer of the Year prize, following in his father’s footsteps. One and a half decades ago, in 2006, Pete Cheema, chief executive of the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF), was Asian Trader of the Year.
Anand says the award – or what he considers a reward –was received well by their customers, adding that it pays “homage” to the community as well. “We wouldn't be where we are without them,” he says. The honour also got them good press in the local newspapers, taking the new store to more members of the community. “It gave us a bit of an uplift in terms of sales, in terms of recognition within the community, reaching members who didn't know that we existed,” he explains.
One should note that Anand’s Spar store on Maggie Wood’s Loan, Falkirk, which is on the site of one of Pete’s early Scottish enterprises, has never been short of media attention. While it is obvious that he will generate some curiosity on account of his father being the boss of SGF, it was soon clear that Anand has one or two tricks of his own up his sleeve, to sustain that interest and create new revenue streams.
Pete himself told us recently about his son’s innovations: “He’s come up with some really great ideas like selling cocktails. There’s not many stores doing that kind of stuff, you know, just basically figuring out that this is what people are missing out on, so can we do it?”
Anand has made this store a whisky hot-spot for connoisseurs, even selling several vintage bottles for £3,500. He made headlines when he was one of the first retailers to stock newly-released vintage Rosebank Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky. And, he is really evolving the offer with cocktails and beer kegs.
Spar Falkirk
“There's a lot of emphasis on different categories in the store, but we are becoming known for alcohol sales,” he agrees. “So, we've got the whisky where we sold numerous bottles at £1600, also at £2500 and one bottle for £3500. So it's scaling up every time.”
“We like to keep it mixed up. We've brought in cocktails, from various suppliers, just to keep it fresh, especially with the hot weather coming into place. And also we've been doing really well with beer kegs, with the current pandemic, as a lot of people have been investing in man caves, you know, beer keg machines for their homes. We've done a lot of big business on all types and all sizes of kegs from two litres, right up to eight litres,” he explains, adding that he doesn’t see this trend falling off too soon.
Anand’s enterprising nature is also evident in his decision to make food to go the central attraction of his store, despite the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns suddenly making the booming category uncertain. He has, in fact, solid research to back him when he says food to go is the future of convenience.
“We knew prior to Covid there was a big emphasis on food to go in the convenience channel,” he says. “We conducted a geographical information survey before we opened the store. From our survey, we realised that we have two schools nearby within walking distance, a community hospital and 40 per cent of our population is office workers.”
“So we knew if we were able to build up the food to go throughout the first two years, until the office workers go back, and really implement in the consumers’ mind that we do provide a good food to go service, when they go back to office, they know they can come to us,” he adds.
Anand, aged just 24, is in it for the long haul. He studied accounting and finance at university, but he had always set his eyes on retailing. “It's important to get some education and degree behind me, you know, to have that bit of learning a business sense, to bring into the business if I was to come back into business,” he says.
Whilst at university, and from his internships and work experience, he realised that it really wasn't a field for him. So after qualifying, he went straight into retail, working for CJ Lang & Son, Scotland's Spar wholesaler, looking after 30 to 40 stores in the west of Scotland for them.
“From there I quickly gained a lot of experience and different ideas of what I can do in my own store and implement aspects of what I see on the market, coupled with what I've learned from the family business,” he says, adding that what he is trying nowis to combine all that in “a certain way to get a winning formula.”
And, it surely works for him, with his alcohol sales a case in point. The focus and innovation is a result of the research they have done and the wisdom from his father’s experience in running a store in the area.
“We did our research and we had experience in the area before as well. My dad previously ran the store and sold a lot of whiskey, not high end, but he sold a lot of whiskey in the area. In his previous stores as well. We always knew that there was scope for this,” he says, adding that it’s the price point and the capital outlays to begin with that mostly deter other retailers to cashing inon this opportunity.
Anand was able to get a hold of seven bottles – out of the just 4350 bottles, priced at £1600 per bottle,made available worldwide –when Rosebank Distillery, which is located 500 yards down the road from his store and owned by Ian Macleod Distillers, released the limited edition30-year-old Rosebank Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky. He had secured the bottles even before he opened his store.
“We knew that would really create a good hype around the store before opening and would allow us to kick on with a reputation because you have a point of difference to another store or a supermarket,” he says.
Talking about competition, Anand says they don't have a lot of heavy competition immediate to them, they’ve got several small stores around them and a Tesco Express not so far away, but he believes that you've always got competition on your doorstep now as “everyone drives these days, and everyone delivers these days,” and he is determined to tackle the challenge of home delivery.
“Even though we might have missed the boat on the real spike at the start of Covid I still think that home delivery is the future, as well as fresh and food to go. So it is key that we implement this into our business ASAP,” he notes.
He says his store has a mix of demographics, with a lot of older customers as well, who were relying on people purchasing products for them on their behalf. In April, he secured permission from the local council to deliver alcohol along with groceries through the Snappy Shopper app.
“We [needed to] get a head start ahead of our competitors and instill that mindset into our customers that we provide that service and we provide it well, so that we're ready for anything that comes up in the future,” he adds.
He would be taking on new staff to help make the deliveries and he assured councillors that they would be fully trained, which in fact has been something he is very particular about right from the start. He believes that while staff is key, staff training is crucial to the store.
“Happy staff equals a happy shop, which equals a profitable one,” he says. “Staff are the first thing that the customers see, they're the face of the business. It's so important that you invest your time and money into them. Because ultimately, it's an investment, and you'll get a return out of that.”
And, what does he expect from them? “They've got to be professional; they've got to know theirstuff. It can't just be me that knows everything about the whiskey, the beer kegs, etc. It's got to be the staff who are up to speed. And then ultimately, standards need to be kept in terms of cleanliness, especially with the pandemic, and regarding regulatory training as well. Everything's got to be your standard. And that's how you build a reputation.”
It’s a pretty exhaustive check list, but he makes sure he does his part to a tee. All of his staff undertook Covid awareness, health and safety, food safety and mental health training online to ensure they are ready to meet customer needs and to instill confidence in the community.
Local is also very important for them. While there's a huge emphasis on going local across the UK, with the pandemic playing a big part for the turn, Anand says this is especially pronounced in Scotland. “We have a lot of local suppliers, from alcohol straight through to fresh. It gives a point of difference as well. I think it's a huge benefit. The customer knows what they're buying, essentially.”
Coming to the category which won him the prize, Anand says impulse is all about merchandising the store properly and effectively to drive sales, or in his words, “to capture the customers”.
“Ultimately, the store needs to be aesthetically pleasing to the consumer. It's about strategically placing products around the store where they're likely to pick up items, and impulse purchase.” So, the front of their store is more about on the go, quick and easy to pick up, eye catching and some good value for money products and the back half of the shop being more your traditional convenience offering of grocery, pet, 2ltrs and household.
The state of the art electronic video rails, displaying various advertising material, is an innovative idea that they came up with. “We thought if we were to implement this across the whole store, it would be overkill. So we strategically placed these where it would be attractive for the customer to come to that area of the store,” he says. “This also adds extra theatre to the store, increasing customer satisfaction. Customers came into store at first to have a look at them. We have seen sales especially increase in areas such as craft ales, beer, alcohol and hanging bags.”
They also look to display products in a more fresh and market-style way. For example, they display fruit and veg in wooden crates and SELs are written in a chalk-style format. They also moved fruit and veg to the front of the store, opposite the bakery goods, in order to really push fresh to the customers. Anand says this has increased sales in the category, in addition to complementing food-to-go sales.
Not only this,they display the rolls which they use for food to go behind the counter to show that they use fresh day-in, day-out and it also adds theatre to the area. “Everything we make in store is fresh. Even our sandwiches and baguettes are made in store and sold on the shop floor. These are made daily by our team of dedicated food-to-go staff,” Anand says. “This not only looks better than pre-packed but also tastes better. I'm glad to say, our customers agree and it’s also a lot healthier too.”
Anand often repeats how the research has helped him in making decisions, but the gist of his approach is to really find out what the area is like, what the demography is like and what is close to the store. Answers to these questions are what inform his focus areas of the store.
“We knew that three main focuses for our store would be alcohol because of the distillery; food to go because of the office workers and school; and also fresh because of the neighborhood community that we have,” he explains, and it definitely makes sense when he adds: “So if you stick to three things that you can really build a reputation on, I don't think you can go wrong. It's just about doing that well and doing it differently.”
He is well aware that, being the son of Pete Cheema, there's always going to be “prying eyes” on the store, but he takes it as an inspiration to not let the guard own. “Although my standards are high, it means I have to maintain those standards as well,” he says confidently. And, he has distilled three mantras from the vast experience of his parents to help him tackle the challenge: “Always work hard and always look to innovate; try and be the best that you can.”
And, if there’s one among these that he needs to choose to share with all retailers in the convenience channel, there’s no hesitation: “Never stand still. Always look to better your store and reinvest.”
Scottish business conglomerate Glenshire Group has hired Daniel Arrandale as its new Property Director.
Starting in the newly created role last week, Arrandale brings a wealth of industry experience to the business, including his most recent position as Acquisitions Manager for Asda and his previous position as Development Manager at EG Group.
“I am thrilled to be joining Glenshire Group in a period of tremendous growth, with many exciting opportunities on the horizon,” said Arrandale. “I’m looking forward to working with the existing development team to maximise the opportunities within our current estate, whilst also growing the business further with the acquisition of new sites.”
As part of Arrandale’s remit, he will oversee acquisitions, development, and growth for Greens Retail, Pizza Hut, and wider Glenshire Group property development and investment interests.
The bulk of Arrandale’s career has been as Retail Director at commercial agents Christie & Co, focussing on the convenience, forecourt and franchise markets. Arrandale served at Christie & Co. for 23 years.
Harris Aslam, Managing Director at Glenshire Group added: “We are very excited to welcome Dan into the Glenshire family. Having worked with Dan many times over the years on several transactions, I can confidently say his breadth of knowledge and experience in this sector will give us a huge advantage as we continue to expand our portfolio.”
Currently operating 27 convenience stores and 20 Pizza Hut franchises in Scotland, Glenshire Group has committed to significantly furthering new location openings in Scotland as well as bolstering their property portfolio.
Brewer Carlsberg is shifting some of its marketing focus to cheaper brands, it said on Thursday (31), as consumers in major markets bought cheaper beer and in reduced quantities.
The maker of Kronenbourg 1664, Tuborg and Somersby said beer sales volumes fell by 1.3 per cent in the third quarter, noting declines in China, France and the United Kingdom. Premium sales fell 0.5 per cent in the quarter."In Western Europe, there's no doubt that the average consumer is holding back," CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen told Reuters.
"In Asia, China stands out as a market where the consumer is very weak. Most other Asian markets are actually okay," he said, adding the company had not yet seen Chinese stimulus measures having any impact on consumer behaviour.For years, brewers have relied on a strategy of developing and promoting their more expensive premium brands to offset an overall decline in drinking.
Aarup-Andersen said he remained confident in the long-term growth potential of premium beer and that the category will comprise a significantly larger portion of Carlsberg's business in a decade.For now, however, the company is adjusting its marketing.
"In markets where we are seeing a significant pressure on premium, we are reallocating some of our focus into making sure that we are promoting properly around the right mainstream brands," he said.
The world's third-largest brewer behind Anheuser-Busch Inbev and Heineken said third-quarter sales rose 1 per cent to 20.5 billion Danish crowns ($2.98 billion), compared with 20.7 billion expected on average by analysts in a poll gathered by the company.
Despite the shift in consumer behaviour, Carlsberg said it still expects full-year organic operating profit growth to be between 4 per cent and 6 per cent. The company lifted its full-year guidance in August.
Also on Thursday (31), the world's largest beer maker Anheuser-Busch InBev reported third-quarter profits, revenues and volumes behind forecasts. AB InBev's third-quarter statement highlighted stronger growth for its more expensive beers, like Corona, which grew 10.2% outside of its home market, Mexico, during the period.
Consumers now want a greater commitment from retailers in cutting food waste, refilling stations, sustainable packaging, and partnering with social purpose organisations, states a recent research, which also highlights that a good majority (69 per cent) of younger consumers are more likely to shop with what they see as socially responsible retailers though price sensitivity still plays a crucial role.
According to the findings, published in Vypr’s Consumer Horizon Report, reducing food waste is the most important factor for the majority of UK consumers (29 per cent), especially for Gen Z women aged 18-24 (38 per cent). More than a third (37 per cent) of men aged 18-24 said they needed food storage advice. A similar number of women aged 18-24 (33 per cent) want meal kits with the exact amount of ingredients included for them to cut down on food waste.
Refill stations for personal care, cleaning products, dry goods, and beverages are also in high demand. Consumers, particularly Gen Z women, are keen to use these stations, provided they offer a cost-saving of 6-10 per cent compared to packaged goods. The study indicates that older shoppers are less likely to use refill stations unless prices are reduced by 15 per cent or more, which Vypr said shows the importance of price in driving consumers to adopt sustainable shopping habits.
The third priority for brands and retailers is to adopt sustainable packaging. Awareness of eco-friendly packaging is high, especially among younger generations. Two-thirds of UK consumers say they expect to pay more for sustainably packaged products, and that figure rises to 86 per cent among Gen Z and Millennials. However, Vypr’s research suggests that while shoppers express willingness to pay more, price sensitivity still plays a crucial role.
Ben Davis, founder of Vypr, said: “There’s often a disconnect between consumer intentions and actions. Brands need to understand that simply offering sustainable options may not be enough if price points don’t match consumer expectations.
“For Gen Z and Millennials, sustainable products need to be competitively priced or risk losing long-term loyalty. We tested this by presenting products with and without the label ‘100 per cent Recycled Packaging’ and found price remained the key purchase decision-making factor for most consumers.”
Another factor in building loyalty among younger consumers is to showcase social responsibility. The research reveals that 60% of shoppers are more likely to shop at retailers that partner with food rescue organisations or promote a charitable cause. Among Gen Z and Millennials, this figure jumps to 69%, showing a strong preference for brands that demonstrate a social purpose.
The report also reveals that 85% of shoppers are willing to pay a deposit for reusable products, though it is younger consumers, particularly those aged 18-24 who express the strongest support for such initiatives.
The Consumer Horizon report which provides insights shaping retail, product innovation, and consumer behaviour going into 2025, can be seen here.
Sugro UK, the number one buying and marketing buying group*, in partnership with b2b.store, is thrilled to announce a further expansion of its existing E-Loyalty scheme programme, which has proven to be very popular with its members and retailers, by introducing E-Loyalty Extra Compliance and Execution scheme as well as E-Coupons.
The E-Loyalty Extra is aimed to boost compliance and execution at retail store level to drive new product launches, core range compliance, some exciting fixture trials with its supply partners and more! It will be available to all member owned and member affiliated retail stores within the group.
The E-Loyalty Extra loyalty scheme will be accessible by retailers via WhatsApp platform and will allow retailers to capture evidence of compliance by simply clicking “take photo” button.
With the addition of another digital enhancement introduced to the group recently – Coupon - based loyalty mechanic, members are now empowered to incentivise and reward customers, driving stronger consumer connections and fostering brand loyalty at a granular level. Retailers can now simply redeem a coupon at the point of check out. Another key digital development within the group is WhatsApp E-Presell which enables Sugro UK’s retail partners to provide advance product volume commitments for new product launches. This functionality is particularly powerful as it ensures that suppliers have accurate forecasts before product launches, enabling better stock availability from day one of product being available on the market.
The ease and speed of using WhatsApp for these commitments simplifies the presell process, ensures accuracy and strengthens relationships across the supply chain.
While other industry players may soon consider introducing similar digital tools, Sugro UK are proud to be at the forefront of enhancing retail-focused digital solutions. This early adoption not only ensures that Sugro UK members remain competitive but also guarantees them access to the best digital tools available in the market. These efforts are part of Sugro UK's ongoing commitment to delivering value to its members and empowering them with innovative solutions for growth and success in an increasingly digital retail environment.
Sugro Head of Commercial and Marketing, Yulia Petitt said: “I am delighted that Sugro UK members are now able to provide photographic evidence of retail compliance and in-store execution to our supplier partners, using a wide range of display and compliance criteria such as planograms, secondary displays, trials, and new product developments (NPDs).These digital features allow members to share real-time proof of execution, enhancing accountability and building supplier confidence. The launch of E-Presell functionality opens a huge digital advantage for the group which will benefit all – members, retailers and suppliers in gaining accurate forecast and ensuring product visibility in store from day one of product being on the market and with the ease of using WhatsApp, the entire pre-sell process becomes a much quicker and easier process to manage for all parties.
"The Group has had 18 consecutive years of growth and, once again, on track to deliver in 2024, with the year-to-date performance of +15% year on year and growth across all categories.” Rob Mannion, CEO of b2b.store, added: “The rate of innovation in the wholesale sector is increasing and these launches are further great examples of that. We’re particularly excited about the developments and different uses of WhatsApp in the industry, with more coming in the pipeline for 2025 – it’s a tool no wholesaler or buying group can afford to ignore because of the level of influence it’s having in the sector and there’s no sign of that direction of travel changing any time soon.”
Sugro UK is proudly owned by its 90 plus independent wholesale members, with a combined turnover of over £2.5 billion.
Expanding its footprint in the World Foods category, Paulig has acquired Panesar Foods, a prominent UK-based producer of sauces and condiments.
Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Tipton, Panesar Foods is a family-owned business with three production facilities, employing 308 staff and achieving a turnover of £59 million in the 2023 fiscal year.
This collaboration is expected to accelerate product launches and drive growth in diverse offerings, including sauces, salsas, marinades, dips, and condiments.
"We have collaborated with Panesar Foods for 17 years, and we are very pleased to welcome the company to Paulig," said Rolf Ladau, CEO of Paulig. "Today, our combined taste expertise and innovation skills unite around a shared ambition: to accelerate our international growth and expand our World Foods offerings."
Bill Panesar, CEO of Panesar Foods, expressed confidence in the partnership, stating, “As Panesar Foods becomes part of Paulig, I am confident that our ambitions for international growth will be realised, and the business will continue to thrive. We share a strong commitment to innovation and delivering high-quality, flavourful products, and I look forward to bringing even more delicious products to the market, together."
Jas Panesar, MD of Panesar Foods, echoed, “This partnership will allow us to reach new markets and deliver our authentic World Food flavors to a broader audience. We look forward to combining our passion for quality food with Paulig’s commitment to sustainability and innovation.”
All 308 Panesar employees will transition to Paulig’s team. Financial details of the transaction remain undisclosed.