Peter Juty and Kully Juty with Asian Trader Impulse Retailer of the Year trophy at the Asian Trader Awards 2022 held at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel in London.
Retailing is a bug, and when you’ve been bitten it’s hard to give it up. Peter Juty, who runs a Costcutter store in Culverstone, Kent, only meant briefly to help out his parents but has been in the trade ever since.
Last year he invested £300,000 on a massive remodelling to make the store totally impulsive, and took home the Impulse Retailer of the Year Award 2022 at the Asian Trader Awards!
Visitors first see a wall of beautiful trellis boards featuring fresh flowers and plants, followed by no less than six Cook freezers. Peter’s fresh and chilled sections are outstanding, and they come from miles around just to smell his baguettes.
“We had front doors in the middle of store and we put them to the side of the store,” he says, explaining the changes. “We put new chillers in, new flooring, new ceiling, everything brand new, total comfort. And we've got electronic labels, which push out all the special promotions that we are running.”
Peter is a consummate retailer who puts the customer first and foremost in his thinking, and this includes children who pop in on their way to school to buy snacks and drinks. “We are very mindful of health and wellness, we have carefully built our displays to encourage fruit with snacks and healthier eating and less sugar in drinks,” he says. “This is all done through careful display.”
At the heart of the refit has been the zoning approach, aided by Costcutter’s shopper insights programme, which gives its retailers a full breakdown of the demographics of their customers.
“We're in a village. We've got a lot of elderly people who want to shop in a smart location, easy to use. Costcutter looked at that and then rezoned everything and gave us a new layout, which we designed with them for the shop,” he says.
The store now offers zones of irresistible displays that talk directly to customers, driving impulse sales. His zoning approach puts products together that excite and drive engagement with customers.
“If you pick up a ready meal, then there is a selection of drinks next door. If you pick up a sandwich, then there are crisps and fruit alongside. If you want a snack, then the Costa Coffee machine is right there by its side,” he continues.
The merchandising around these shopper missions, and the opportunity to drive impulse, ensures that many people call in more than once a day. “Families, workers and children will call in during the morning to get their snacks and food to go – often coffee on the go, too. Lunchtime, they will come in for the chilled, sandwiches and food-to-go offer and then they may pop back in for something to eat – or a bottle of a wine in the evening,” he says.
And the results were indeed rewarding, with weekly sales going by 20 per cent following the refit. Even the lingering cost-of-living crisis has not affected him much.
“Customers are still looking for bargains. But they still want to treat themselves even in the cost-of-living crisis,” he says, adding that they are now doing many more promotions with the help of electronic labels. “It helps us put them in, rather than changing the labels, all done electronically. So we've got the power to do a lot more promotions, and customers have noticed that.”
‘Way of life’
The Jutys share a special relationship with the community. Pete’s parents first bought a small store in 1984 in the village.
“And it quickly became a way of life for us all. We were the hub of our community, and still are, where everyone in the village came to shop with us, and use the post office services that we provided in store,” he says.
“I was still at school at the time and at the weekend, I used to help them. And then after I left the school, because they just bought the store, I went in for a year. And I was going to go university. But I never ended up in university and ended up staying in the store!”
Over the course of time, they had three smaller stores, and then in 2006, they got an opportunity to buy a premises on the main road, and to expand in size, from 800 sq ft to 2400 sq ft. His Mum and Dad both retired in the same year, and Peter, now 55, has been in the front seat ever since.
The store is actively involved with the community and raises money for its needs. “We got private roads and the roads aren't good and they need repairing. At the moment our Easter egg raffle is to provide money. Last year, we raised £2000 just on the Easter eggs. So everybody knows that we give back wherever we can,” he adds.
Peter also stresses the need to delegate, especially with retailing taking more and more responsibility. Whether it’s the home delivery service or handling social media, he thinks the importance of staff training is something that can’t be taken for granted anymore.
“You give them more responsibility, it makes them feel part of the story, it makes them feel like it's their store as well,” he notes. “Once you make your staff feel that the store is theirs as well, they put more effort into it. Whereas if you don't involve your staff, then they just turning up doing the work going home. But now they talk to you, they say, ‘Oh, look, customer is asking for this’. They give you feedback. So staff training is very important, getting the right staff who are helpful is very important in your store.”
And, his staff just received a pay rise last month, above the minimum wage, as he always implements the pay increase before it takes effect in April.
Peter also maintains excellent relations with local suppliers whose products attract repeat custom for the store.
“We have a lot of local suppliers,” he explains. “We got a local supplier for bread, one for eggs, meat comes from the butcher very close which has a fabulous reputation and that's why people keep coming back for it, because they trust this meat supplier. We've got local made pies, Kent-made sausages. We try and keep a lot of local produce as much as we can get, fresh produce like strawberries from a local farm in the summer, anything we could get local.”
Just across the road, they face competition in the form of a forecourt with Southern Co-op's Welcome franchise store inside. Still, Peter says food to go is his best-selling category!
“They kind of complement our business,” he says, “because they're the only petrol station in the area. People fill up with petrol there and they know their prices are not as comparable with ours, so then they walk across the road. And because we do the local produce, we've got a point of difference from them.”
And, they bake on the premises, and have a hot food cabinet and some drinks machines as well, but he says they don't go too much into food-to-go machines, as the Welcome store houses a lot of them. “We haven't duplicated anything,” he says.
As Costcutter makes the Co-op range of products available to the store, that also helps them to lure customers and stay ahead of the competition, especially with the backdrop of the financial squeeze experienced by the customers.
“I've noticed more and more people going away from certain branded products, and they're buying more and more own-label products – and Co-op is a very good, trusted range,” he says.
Smart stores
Last year’s refit was the big major investment they have done after 17 years in residence, though they have done several small ones in between. Peter says retailers need to “smarten up their store” to tackle the challenges of today and to be fit for the future.
“There's so many stores around and competition around, and if you're not smart, the customers will go somewhere else. So I think it's a no-brainer that anybody should really invest in their store and make it look really good and give the customer what they want,” he says.
Even a year later, they are still tweaking the store. “There's couple of things we put in that didn't work. We've taken them out and are putting in new products. We're trying new local suppliers all the time. We're now looking at media screens to advertise a lot more promotions and products to the customer,” he explains.
Retail is challenging, but he feels the key is to enjoy what you're doing. “It's a changing situation. It's not going to be stable for the next 5-10 years. And at the moment it’s changing every six months. So you've got to be keeping up to date with all the new products, new items that are coming out,” he says, adding:
“But retailing is a nice, good job to get into. I've enjoyed it. I'm still doing it 38 years later.”
Peter July shares three key tips that helped him win the impulse sales
The “zoning” approach: I know this is not unique, and to a degree it is common sense, but when I go into other convenience stores, very few shops seem to do this in a way that puts the shopper first and foremost in their thinking. If you put impulse products together that “excite” and drive engagement with the customer, then you will win impulse sales and if you make it easy to make those purchases, then even better.
Special offers drive impulse: This also links to our approach above in terms of pairing the right products together and putting these under special offer. Again, this is not rocket science, but I am always amazed how few retailers tend to do this and really put together products that work together that if you buy one, of course you want the other. And if it is on special offer, the displays and point of sale really catch attention as the customer is walking through the store.
Customer service and relationships with customers: I believe our team is the best in the business! We always recruit from our community and employ a diverse mix of people from different cultures and ages. Everyone follows our values of cleanliness in store and is selected for their friendly, people-facing nature. As a result, every day I see my team guiding customers to new products, highlighting special offers and making suggestions. We host events for customers including wine tastings and food pairing (which leads to impulse purchase), and also for children – we invite them in to bake biscuits and cakes, which has become increasingly popular and also supports our impulse sales.
Greater Manchester-based wine and spirits firm Kingsland Drinks Group has announced the appointment of Sarah Baldwin as Managing Director.
Baldwin will lead the employee-owned, full-service drinks company from April, leaving Purity Soft Drinks, where she sat as chief executive for over six years.
With a strong background in FMCG covering retail, consumer brands and own label, she has extensive and proven commercial experience earned in senior leadership roles at Gü Puds as managing director, Arla Foods as VP marketing (UK) and Asda as category director. Baldwin is also a long-standing board member and executive council member of the British Soft Drinks Association.
Baldwin’s appointment follows the departure of Ed Baker, who led the business until November 2024.
Andy Sagar, Kingsland Drinks Group chairman, said: “Sarah’s extensive experience in drinks and the wider FMCG industry will play a considerable role in the coming years as we continue to build our position as a competitive full-service drinks company.
“We cater for every part of the drinks industry, from UK high street retailers and the national on trade, to global brands requiring a production and packing partner and challenger brands wishing to scale. We are confident that Sarah’s expertise and vision will continue to drive our company forward and help us deliver our long-term company vision - to build a better drinks industry and society. We welcome Sarah to the Kingsland family.”
Baldwin commented: “I’m joining a talented and well-developed team in a unique business at an exciting time. I very much embrace the opportunity to embark on this new chapter at Kingsland Drinks Group and be part of how the firm grows in the long term.”
In recent years Kingsland has upweighted its focus on spirits and no and low alcohol creation and increased its capacity to pack wines and spirits in new and emerging formats including new carbonation, bottling, Bag in Box and canning lines.
The company also reinstated its onsite winery and expanded its NPD capabilities with a new laboratory in recent years. In 2021, the company transitioned into an employee-owned model, enabling its members to have a say in how the company is run.
Essex has seen a staggering rise of over 14,000 per cent in illegal vape seizures in the past 12 months, a new report has revealed.
The shocking figures place the county just behind the London Borough of Hillingdon for total seizures - which leading industry expert, Ben Johnson, Founder of Riot Labs, attributes to its proximity to Heathrow airport.
The Illegal Vape report, released by vape retailer Vape Club following a Freedom of Information request, revealed the ten counties with the highest seizures in the past 12 months and the percentage change versus 2023.
Two illegal vapes were seized every minute in 2024, with almost £9 million worth of illegal products removed from UK streets. The number of illegal vapes seized year-on-year since 2020 saw a dramatic 100-fold increase.
Ben Johnson, who’s company has launched Riot Activist to defend the vape sector and protect smokers trying to quit, claims the government have a golden opportunity to reduce illegal vapes through the introduction of a licensing scheme.
“The bottom line is, the illegal vape black market is booming due to a lack of enforcement and the government’s ongoing attempts to use prohibition, which is only fueling the problem. Prohibition does not work,” Johnson commented.
“A well-executed licensing scheme for vapes which would be self-funded, and therefore enforced, is the best option to crack down on illegal vapes and manage the youth vape problem. Vapes have a vital role to play in the government’s smoke free ambitions, helping millions of adult smokers quit. Their current approach is absolute self-sabotage, and as these staggering figures show - they urgently need to wake up.”
In England, London contributed to nearly half of all illegal vape seizures (47%), while Newport, in Wales, saw significant increases contributing to 70 per cent of Wales’ total seizures.
In Scotland, Renfrewshire Council - the home of Glasgow airport - reported the highest number of seizures (3,814).
Dan Marchant, chief executive of Vape Club, added: “Innocent Brits who are using vapes as a legitimate tool to quit are being exploited by the black market, and more has to be done to protect them. Dangerously high nicotine levels and contaminated products are reaching consumers due to this illicit activity, and the government must reconsider its current position - and properly study the proposed retail and distributor licensing framework which is the most effective approach to solving the youth vape problem, without impacting smokers who use vaping to quit smoking.”
How to tell if you have an illegal vape:
Illegal vapes are dangerous, unregulated devices with unknown ingredients or much higher nicotine levels which can pose serious risks to health. The telltale signs to look out for include:
Vapes with a tank size larger than 2ml
Vapes with a nicotine strength greater than 20mg/ml
Vapes without the correct health or nicotine warnings
Poor quality packaging with low-resolution photos or labels
Vapes without a UK address or labelling in a foreign language
Untested vapes that haven't been properly safety checked, including vapes without full ingredient list displayed on packaging
Britain will investigate the long-term effects of vaping on children as young as eight in a decade-long study of their health and behaviour, the government said on Wednesday.
The government has been cracking down on the rapid rise of vaping among children, with estimates showing a quarter of 11- to 15-year-olds have tried it out.
A ban on disposable vapes is due to come into force in June, and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, currently passing through parliament, will limit flavours and packaging on vapes designed to attract children.
"The long-term health impacts of youth vaping are not fully known, and this comprehensive approach will provide the most detailed picture yet," the health department said.
The £62 millionstudy will track 100,000 people aged 8-18 years through the 10-year period, collecting data on behaviour and biology as well as health records, the statement said.
The World Health Organisation has urged governments to treat e-cigarettes similarly to tobacco, warning of their health impact and potential to drive nicotine addiction among non-smokers, especially children and young people.
"It is already known that vaping can cause inflammation in the airways, and people with asthma have told us that vapes can trigger their condition," said Sarah Sleet, CEO of British lung charity Asthma + Lung UK.
"Vaping could put developing lungs at risk, while exposure to nicotine - also contained in vapes - can damage developing brains."
In Britain, unlike traditional cigarettes which are heavily taxed and face strict advertising limitations, vapes are not subject to 'sin tax' and carry colourful designs and fruity flavours that make them stand out on shop shelves.
The government, which plans to introduce a flat rate duty on vaping liquid from next October, said the study would provide researchers and policymakers with the evidence needed to protect the next generation from potential health risks.
It also launched a nationwide vaping campaign, due to roll out primarily on social media to "speak directly" to younger audience using influencers.
Commenting, Marina Murphy, senior director, scientific affairs at vape firm Haypp, said the study will help to build a strong scientific evidence base for UK policymakers.
“Without a strong evidence base, there may be a temptation to default to measures such as flavour bans that don’t directly address issues around youth access but may instead discourage adult smokers from switching. In other jurisdictions, flavours bans have led to increased smoking,” Murphy said.
“The first ever public health campaign to discourage youth vaping is a welcome step, but we must remember that vapes are already an adult only product. We also need clear information about vapes from government to adult smokers. Half the adults in the UK already believe vapes to be as harmful or more harmful than cigarettes, and this type of misinformation needs to be countered to encourage adult smokers to switch to less harmful vapes.”
United Wholesale, JW Filshill and CJ Lang & Sons emerged as the stars of Scotland wholesale world in the recently held annual Scottish Wholesale Achievers Awards.
Achievers, now in its 22nd year and organised by the Scottish Wholesale Association, recognises excellence across all sectors of the wholesale industry and the achievements that have made a difference to individuals, communities and businesses over the last year.
Over 500 guests attended the Achievers gala dinner and awards presentation, hosted by sports broadcaster Eilidh Barbour, at the O2 Academy Edinburgh, on Thursday (20). Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon MSP, was in attendance and presented two awards.
The Supplier Sales Executive of the Year award was won by Craig Barr, regional business development manager at AG Barr, who the judges described as “absolutely dedicated to his company and his customers”.
Multiple winners on the night included United Wholesale (Scotland) – picking up Best Delivered Operation – Retail, Best Cash & Carry for its depot in Queenslie, Glasgow, Best Licensed Wholesaler – Off-Trade, and Best Marketing Initiative.
In the Best Cash & Carry category, the judges praised United’s “first-class customer service and shopping experience, with particularly impressive NPD activation and digital activity”.
They added: “It offers retailers advice, collaborates closely with suppliers, and has a dedicated and well-supported team.”
In Best Delivered Operation – Retail, while United claimed the title, the worthy runner-up, CJ Lang & Son, went on to win Best Symbol Group, with the judges pointing to the Dundee-based Spar business’s “excellent execution in-store, and its onboarding strategy and initiatives involving local communities” which made it stand out from its competitors.
Meanwhile, United’s “Spin To Win” concept entered for Best Marketing Initiative was described by the judges as a “game-changer and a fantastic way to generate excitement for a brand, drive footfall into depots, and gain distribution”, ensuring another accolade for the wholesaler’s award cabinet.
For west of Scotland wholesaler JW Filshill, it was “meeting its vast number of sustainability and environmental goals” that saw it take home the important Sustainable Wholesaler of the Year category – with the judges stating that the business has worked on several initiatives that have been “for the wider benefit of other wholesalers, suppliers and retailers”, with staff empowered by senior management to take the lead in driving sustainability initiatives.
In the two drinks categories, United Wholesale (Scotland) won Best Licensed Wholesaler with the judges pointing to its “incredible supplier and customer relationships” and pushing NPD in a tough market, helping suppliers and customers understand Scottish legislation and investing in its retailers – and having a “forward-thinking attitude in the digital space”.
Suppliers were recognised for their support of the wholesale sector with awards in categories including Best Overall Service and Best Foodservice Supplier – both won by soft drinks giant AG Barr.
Both of these awards involves wholesaler members of the SWA voting each month over a four-month period for the shortlisted suppliers.
AG Barr also shone in the Project Wholesale category for “The Great Transition”, its project to move all the sales from Barr Direct into the wholesale industry. And in a fun segment during Achievers, attendees watched five TV ads shortlisted by wholesalers across Scotland with the Best Advertising Campaign going to the supplier’s IRN-BRU – ‘Mannschaft’.
The event also recognised wholesale members Dunns Food and Drinks and JW Filshill, both of which are celebrating their 150th anniversaries in 2025.
SWA chief executive Colin Smith said, “Tonight is all about recognising and celebrating the exceptional achievements of not only businesses but also individuals in the Scottish wholesale channel, the gateway to Scotland’s food and drink industry.
“The people who work in wholesale are the glue that binds our food and drink industry together – be it those who work in partnership with our producers and suppliers, or those who help support, develop and deliver into the local retailer, hotel, school or hospital.
“Once upon a time, the wholesale industry largely flew under the radar of those in the corridors of power, but today, Scotland’s wholesale industry is far more widely recognised by MSPs and MPs alike for the vital role it plays in the food and drink supply chain.
“Every wholesaler, every supplier – be they local or national, large or small – are an essential cog in Scotland’s complex food and drink supply chain. That’s why is it more important than ever that we celebrate their success and recognise everything they do to ensure that food and drink reaches our plates and tables.”
While a community group recently criticised self-service checkouts, saying automation lacks the "feel good factor", retailers maintain that rise in the trend is a response to changing consumer behaviour and the need of the hour.
Taking aim at self-checkouts in stores, Bridgwater Senior Citizens' Forum recently stated that such automation is replacing workers and damaging customer service.
"More and more supermarkets are replacing staff with machines, and we must help to reverse the trend," BBC quoted Forum chairman Ken Jones as saying.
"The knowledge and advice of retail staff is invaluable, but we also value human interaction above machines and artificial intelligence.
"Just saying hello to someone makes you come back, especially in dark days of winter. The feelgood factor, you can't put a price on it can you?"
Self-checkouts are present in 96 per cent of grocery stores worldwide.
In the UK's convenience channel, about 17 per cent of convenience stores now have a self-service till, states "Local Shop Report" by the Association of Convenience Stores, signifying a significant portion of the country's convenience stores offer self-checkout options.
Convenience stores often see self-checkout tills as an asset as they save time and queues at the counter in case of staff shortage.
Budgens Berrymoor has a self- checkout till. Retailer Biren Patel considers having the system as an asset and also as a backup in case of lesser staff.
Patel told Asian Trader in a recent conversation, "In future, in case, if I have to reduce the staff, I can have just one staff at the till and the other one customers can use themselves and save time by standing in the queue."
Retailers also argue self-service tills reflect changing consumer habits and offer speed and convenience.
Kris Hamer, director of insight at the British Retail Consortium, said, "The expansion of self-service checkouts is a response to changing consumer behaviours, which show many people prioritising speed and convenience.
"Many retailers provide manned and unmanned checkouts as they work to deliver great service at low cost for their customers".
Apart from convenience, upcoming rise in wages is also expected to further push the use to self-checkout tills in the stores.
However, there is a con for retailers here as multiple studies show that shoppers tend to cheat at self-checkout tills while some use such tills to steal from stores.
According to the poll of 1,099 adults by Ipsos, one in eight adults (13 per cent) said they had selected a cheaper item on a self-service till than the one they were buying. If applied to the entire UK adult population, it would mean six million people have taken advantage of self-checkouts to steal from shops.
Earlier this month, another new research revealed that almost 40 per cent of UK shoppers have failed to scan at least one item when using self-checkouts.