“Under-promise and over-deliver”, that’s the mantra of Mandeep Singh, who bagged the top prize at the 2021 Asian Trader Awards, winning the Asian Trader of the Year accolade for his Singh’s Premier store on Teynham Road in Shirecliffe, Sheffield.
As the pandemic dramatically changed the way shoppers use convenience stores, Mandeep quickly grasped the scale of the opportunity and put plans in place to capitalise on this trend with a full-scale refit and extension of the store to 1,750 sq ft.
Mandeep’s store now offers a modern product and service range that gives as many shoppers as many reasons as possible to choose Singh’s first time, every time. A Refresh section with several slush machines, an outstanding walk-in beer cave, a vaping zone and the new food-to-go area, all have created a buzzing atmosphere in the shop, which now also boasts increased chilled & fresh and frozen space and a hugely enhanced home delivery service.
“We looked at not just having a pretty store but what's new, what to stock, what's out there, what do we need to do, and we had a few pillars like we put Refresh in, we put Premier Deli in, we put a beer cave in, we put a dedicated vape station in, we went really big in frozen and chilled and then on top of that, we started delivered business and now our delivered businesses doing short of £1.6 million a year,” Mandeep explains.
You read that right! His delivery business turns over nearly £1.6m, and he has got his own brand and platform, Singh’s Drop. “We are trying to give our customers the Amazon feel. If they want grocery, they come to us, because we're the Amazon of grocery deliveries in our area,” he says. In fact, they are all set to launch Singh’s Drop Prime Day soon!
Mandeep says he cannot see any reason for independent retailers to shy away from a profitable delivery operation, even amidst the challenges from the venture capital-backed rapid delivery startups. In fact, an early pioneer in the sector, he could easily see off the completion from Getir in his area.
“We had Getir come into Sheffield, billions of pounds, and they burn a lot of money. But guess what, they've gone now, Getir is nowhere,” he says.
“So you don't have to waste your energy on about what Getir or Gorillas or whoever are doing. You put that energy into your own business. You got to run a business from zero commissions. You control the margin and the price.”
He gives the example of cigarettes:
“In 34 years of trading, we have never made more than eight per cent on cigarettes. In the last two years, 23 per cent on tobacco delivered. So what I'm saying is, have everything in-house, you control it- your own platform, your own cars, your own drivers. The infrastructure has got to be there,” Mandeep affirms.
The 10-minute, 20-minute promises can be safely ignored, but he would suggest retailers to stick to a 30-minute delivery window. And even if any delivery is late, a local retailer can always pick up the phone, or train their staff to ring the customer, who likely will be more than happy to say, “No problem as long as it takes”, he adds.
“What you are not going to do: over-promise and under-deliver. You have got to under-promise and over-deliver. You have to get that right. That formula is very important.”
Drive and Broaden
Mandeep has a two-pronged approach to running a business: “You have got to drive it and broaden it”, and he notes that delivery is the new way to widen the business.
“Before they need to broaden it by having multiple stores, but now the broadening bit for me is the delivered side of the market: you broaden your business by not having multiple stores but by having multiple delivery destinations,” he says.
“So a leaflet drop, now but delivered with a QR code on, gets me customers every day. If I say to you, I am delivering from one store to 800+ customers a week; you would say that's phenomenal. I'm doing that week after week. So you got to remember: under-promise over-deliver,” he adds.
And, his focus on driving the business is exemplified in the refit of the store, taking it to the next level. In fact, they have been planning on the refit before the pandemic, but hit the pause button as the coronavirus began to spread.
“We were going to do it, but then the pandemic kicked in. I'm glad we didn't do it. Because, we had some crazy, crazy sales! Sales really doubled for us. We had great availability from Booker, which reflected on the sales.”
After the pandemic calmed down, they went for the big investment, and this time the sales ensured that they need not to borrow money.
“Secondly, we've got all these extra customers and to keep this extra custom, we will do something different. And the difference is the pillars that I've talked about – the beer cave, Refresh, the Premier Deli, the delivered foods and all that. So, they all come together like a jigsaw, and now we are reaping the rewards,” he says.
Mandeep stresses that investing in the store is not just about it looking good and fresh, though that is equally important.
“If you are investing money, you have got to put the newness in. Without the newness, I would really say – it's not pointless – but you're not going to see that increase in sales. It’s not just sales, its customer satisfaction as well,” he says.
He suggests retailers to look at the market whenever they go for a refit. “You have got customers, what do they want? Do your customers demand a delivered solution now? Yes, they do. So you have got to be able to provide them with a delivered solution.”
“So its learning from Greggs, its learning from Tesco Clubcard, it is learning from Amazon, many learnings out there that you've got to put together,” he says, welcoming retailers to his store to explore his innovations.
“We welcome any retailer to come to my store. And I will spend one to three hours with him. And I'll show him what we've done. And I'll show him the results,” he says.
Training well
Mandeep emphasises the importance of staff training, particularly when you run a delivery operation, as they are your “face and frontline”.
“They deal with your customers, so even this morning, just as an example, we have got 12-pack Diet Coke on our delivered app. We don’t have 12-pack Diet Coke but we have got six packs. So the staff member calls the customer and said, ‘Look, we haven't got 12-pack but we've got two six packs, and there's no extra cost for you. Are we okay?’ The customer was more than happy,” he says.
Social media is another forte, and his keywords there are consistency and relatability. “Active every day, minimum one if not two, three times a day. Also relate to things that are happening,” he recommends. “It’s about being quick to get that message to your customer.”
Mandeep and his twin brothers, Baljeet and Vrinder who are four years his junior, share the workload, with him posting on Facebook and his brothers replicating it on Instagram, Tik Tok and Twitter.
All three have completed their Honours degree, but belonging to a retail family – their parents started the business and his younger sister has her own Premier store – the pull of retail has been irresistible.
“As we got through our education, our store (on Teynham Road) got stronger and stronger, busier and busier, and it came to a point in my mind that I couldn't earn the money in a job than I could earn out of the store,” he says.
He also notes that a fundamental principle instilled by their parents still drives their business model. “We were bought up in a store where the values were ‘Look after your community, your community will look after you’. We had that moral towards community via our parents,” he says.
“We won the Asian Trader of the Year with this store, which is a big achievement for our family, our friends, our community, our customers. We're honored,” he adds.
The Teynham Road store began as Singh’s Food Store and they first joined the symbol group Happy Shopper, before moving to Premier. Since then, they have stayed with the symbol. They bought their second store in 2004, the year Mandeep’s son was born, in Sheffield's Manor Estate, and in 2008 they bought the Herries Road store.
The stores are all going from strength to strength, but Mandeep says they don’t want to have multiple stores. “We could have probably 20 stores, but 20 stores dilute you and we are here to run good stores and at the same time, yes, we all want to make money,” he says.
‘In a good place’
As Mandeep says, delivery is his route to expansion, and he explains how that side is serving them well amidst the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
“In these tough times the shopper is savvy. You have a nicely laid out store and you can get the spend up after putting that in place. But at the same time the shopper on your delivery is three times bigger than your shopper in-store,” he reveals.
“My average basket spend is over £8 in-store. But on my delivery, it's over £24, sometimes £27, 99 per cent of them a new business. So there is a massive opportunity for delivery, massive opportunity for incremental sales in store. You have to put the right infrastructure in.”
He also cautions against ditching PMPs from the delivery operation on account of margins, and suggests that there are plenty of products, like bread, milk and tobacco, where retailers can make money. “The mixture for me is pretty safe because, as a whole, above 21 per cent and on £1.6 million a year, you are looking at over £300,000.”
Mandeep adds that convenience is in a good place, irrespective of the challenges. “Convenience is changing, so you need to adapt to customer needs. The biggest thing is delivery. And the next biggest thing for me, it's going to be loyalty.”
His future plans for the store include buying next door and launching a Greggs solution in there. He knows that a one-off Greggs franchise is “very hard,” but he makes a passionate case: “We have got a retailer here who is very ecstatic, who has gone through all the hurdles and got a business and taking all the Co-op’s business independently than any of the people in the UK? Why not trial a Greggs store with him, like what you're doing with the big boys? Why not give an independent retailer a chance?”
Today, on The National Lottery’s 30th birthday, operator Allwyn is announcing that, through selling tickets, National Lottery retailers have helped players raise a landmark £50 billion for Good Causes since 1994 – funding an incredible 700,000 individual projects across the UK.
Allwyn is also announcing that National Lottery retailers have now earned over £8 billion in sales commission since the first draw on Saturday 19 November 1994.
In addition to changing the face of communities up and down the UK, more than 7,400 millionaires have been created and over £95 billion awarded in prizes since the launch of The National Lottery in 1994.
Over 570 dedicated independent National Lottery retailers have been selling The National Lottery since launch – including Brian McLister, owner of McLister’s Store in Ballycastle, and Raj Patel, owner of News Bit in Bushey.
Through selling National Lottery tickets to players, Raj’s store has raised over £700,000 for National Lottery Good Causes since 1994, while Brian’s store has raised over £650,000.
“I feel proud that we’ve been able to make a difference,” said Brian McLister, owner of McLister’s Store in Ballycastle. “We’ve always strived to serve our local community and to help wherever we can. It’s great to be able to see the benefit of National Lottery funding in your area. Our local museum has been completely regenerated thanks to the funding they’ve received. It feels good to know that we’ve helped in some way.”
Raj Patel, owner of News Bit in Bushey, added: “Whenever I hear that over £30 million is raised every week for Good Causes, it makes me happy that by selling tickets and Scratchcards in my store, I’m helping in some way.”
Allwyn has been running some special games and draws to celebrate three decades of The National Lottery, including:
Last Saturday’s (9 Nov) special Lotto £15 million "Must Be Won" draw which saw a millionaire made and the jackpot roll down to boost all the lower prize tiers.
A EuroMillions 100 European Millionaire Maker draw on Saturday 22 November which will see 100 prizes of £1 million (or €1 million) guaranteed to be won in a single night.
A special 30th birthday Scratchcard that hit stores in the lead up to the birthday and offers the best chance of winning £30 on a game, as well seven top prizes of £300,000.
Brian McLister
Allwyn’s Interim Retail Director, James Dunbar, said: “By selling billions of tickets, and continuing to be the majority sales channel, it’s hard to ignore just how central National Lottery retailers have been in helping players raise £50 billion for Good Causes since 1994. They’ve now earned over £8 billion in sales commission along the way, which further demonstrates the incredible impact of The National Lottery on the UK over the last 30 years. We would like to thank retailers for their amazing commitment and support over the last three decades.”
Three decades of National Lottery funding has created an unparalleled legacy: powering athletic excellence, protecting cultural treasures, advancing artistic achievement and strengthening communities nationwide.
Running alongside the major initiatives are the hundreds of thousands of grants – usually for £10,000 or less – which help small projects to make an amazing difference in their areas.
Since funding began in 1994, UK athletes have won more than 1,000 Olympic and Paralympic medals. The National Lottery has funded the making of more than 600 films which have won an incredible 551 awards, including 16 Oscars, 128 BAFTAs and 34 Cannes awards. Popular attractions and notable landmarks across the UK such as the Eden Project, the Giant’s Causeway, the Kelpies, the Angel of the North and Wembley and the Principality Stadium have all received support from The National Lottery.
Nearly half of Brits (44%) say they would prefer a G&T to a cup of tea when getting together with friends, according to a new survey by spirits major Bacardi Limited.
The UK consumer survey was conducted as part of the sixth annual Bacardi Cocktail Trends Report which anticipates the key trends redefining global cocktail culture and the spirits business in 2025.
Cocktail culture in the UK is continuing its growth trajectory with nearly half (48%) of all Gen Z consumers (aged 18-29 years old) surveyed saying they would prefer to celebrate a special moment with a cocktail instead of Champagne.
The same group also has a growing interest in cocktails over beer and wine. In the UK, 35 per cent of Gen Z respondents said that compared to last year they are more likely to drink a cocktail than beer and 29 per cent said the same about wine.
“As a family-owned company that’s been around for over 160 years, Bacardi has a strong track record of identifying trends in what and where people are drinking,” says Steve Young, business unit director for Bacardi in the UK & Ireland.
“It’s how we ensure our portfolio of premium spirit brands, including Bacardí rum, Bombay Sapphire gin, Grey Goose vodka and Patrón tequila, are the drinks enjoyed by each new generation of consumers.”
Commenting on the UK’s top 10 cocktails for 2025, Davide Zanardo, head of advocacy for Bacardi in the UK & Ireland, said: “The G&T tops our poll for 2025 so perhaps it’s not surprising it’s now rivalling the cup of tea as the country’s national drink. The love that Brits have for Bombay Sapphire has made the iconic blue bottle a feature in bars, stores and homes across the UK.
“In 2025, the tequila trend will be unstoppable with the Margarita shooting up the rankings of the most popular cocktails in the UK, rising eight places from number 13 in 2024 to fifth in 2025. Agave is what everyone in the industry is talking about and that’s reflected in the demand for ultra-premium tequilas like PATRÓN.”
Top 10 UK cocktails for 2025 are:
1. Gin & Tonic
2. Piña Colada
3. Mojito
4. Rum & Coke
5. Margarita
6. Passionfruit / Pornstar Martini
7. Vodka & Lemonade
8. Irish Coffee
9. Daiquiri
10. Gin & Lemonade
Globally, the five macro-trends defined by the 2025 Bacardi Cocktail Trends Report are:
1: Premium Fans. Fandoms are redefining premium entertainment as they invest in immersive experiences that embrace hospitality add-ons and bespoke travel packages, and next year’s highly anticipated Oasis reunion is only going to fuel this trend. Brands and venues are responding to this demand with offers that include luxury hotels for “gig-tripping” packages and sports bars curating exclusive cocktail experiences. The synergy between fandom and premium spirits at live events is helping to shape the future of entertainment.
2: In-The-Know Imbibing. Cocktail culture is evolving from spectacle to substance, as IYKYK – i.e. If You Know You Know – experiences take centre stage. Mixologists will transform into designers, educators and opinion leaders, using their craft to create a more meaningful connection with every person that walks into their bar. In fact, 61 percent of UK respondents to the Bacardi Consumer Survey are concerned that drinks created by AI will miss the emotional and artistic finesse of bartenders.
3: New Cocktail Frontiers. Digital fatigue and a growing desire for cultural exploration mean people are craving real, multi-sensory engagement—in fact, UK respondents to the Bacardi survey ranked cocktails that provide a multi-sensory experience as a key reason for paying more. This shift is transforming how people enjoy drinks and where they enjoy them. 2025 will see the rise of immersive venues which cater to early evening, sensory-rich cocktail moments.
4: Culinary Connoisseurs. The line between food and drink is blurring as mixologists experiment with kitchen staples like milk, oil, and brine to create a new wave of gastro-inspired drinking experiences. Nearly three-quarters (70%) of bartenders draw inspiration from the culinary arts when creating cocktails, according to the Bacardi Global Brand Ambassador Survey. This trend aligns with consumer interest in savoury and herbaceous flavours, which grew by 20% and 15% respectively in 2024.
5: The Future Spirit. As brands evolve to align with the values of next-gen consumers, 2025 will see a push for inclusivity and a drive for positive change. A strong focus on community building and education will see support for organizations that improve the hospitality landscape. The Bacardi Global Brand Ambassador Survey underscores the industry's motivation for deeper connection with 62% of respondents expressing interest in more professional networking opportunities in 2025.
Thousands of British farmers today (19) are set to march to Parliament Square to protest against the end of an inheritance tax exemption that has helped family farms pass down the generations, saying the move will threaten food production.
First unveiled in chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Budget, the plans to impose inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1m have sparked fury among rural communities, who have contested the government’s assertion that small family farms will not be impacted by the changes.
Opposition to the so-called "tractor tax" is one part of a wider backlash against Reeves's financial plans. Farmers say the change will threaten the viability of family farms, which often have tight profit margins, and that their children will have to sell land to cover the tax bill, raising the risk that food production will suffer.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has organised an event in which 1,800 of its members will meet with local MPs at Westminster to voice their anger on Tuesday, as thousands are also separately expected to stage a demonstration in Whitehall. Protest organisers say that while this event will be peaceful and include children driving toy tractors, rallies could escalate in the future if the government refuses to budge.
In an interview with BBC News, Tom Bradshaw, president of the NFU, said that farmers felt particularly aggrieved because last year, when Steve Reed was shadow environment secretary, he said Labour was not planning to change agricultural property relief (the inheritance tax exemption). He said farmers only started hearing rumours that the government was going to go back on this about a week before the budget.
He said he did not accept the government’s claims that most farms will not be affected by the change. Instead, he said, “75 per cent of the commercial farms in the United Kingdom will be within the scope of this policy change.”
Bradshaw also said farmers were willing to work with the government to produce a better version of the policy. He explained: "This policy is ill thought through. There’s still a 20 per cent benefit for the uber-wealthy to invest in agricultural land, and with the changes they’ve made to pensions, they’ve now incentivised people to rip money out of pensions and invest in up to £1m of agricultural land.
"That is not going to deliver for food security. It’s absolutely nonsensical. It’s not joined up. There’s no thought about the impact on food production or the families that produce this country’s food.
"Let’s sit down [with the government]. Give us the question. Tell us what the exam question is. We will work with you. If you want to stop people using land as a tax dodge, let’s work out the policy that does that. But this policy is not the answer."
The government argues that tax exemptions have led to wealthy non-farmers seizing agricultural land and pricing out genuine young farmers, and point to Budget funding of £5bn to help farmers produce food.
Retailers are invited to board Bestway’s Profit Express’ train as Bestway Wholesale launches its major Christmas campaign to its B2B customers across its nationwide depots, allowing retailers to access to its leading festive deals to drive shopper footfall against the backdrop of the theatre. The campaign will be live until Thursday 2 January 2025 giving customers the elevated, engaging and high impact theatre they have become famous for over the last three years.
In collaboration with key suppliers, the ‘Profit Express’ festive campaign delivers all the magic of theatre and festive fun, ensuring exceptional visibility and engagement for its expected 80,000 retailers shopping the Christmas campaign.
With a proven track record of delivering high-impact seasonal campaigns and aiming to build on last year’s success when the business achieved an average 158% volume uplift on SKUs during the Christmas campaign, Bestway is doubling down on the promotions to help ease the pressure on customers over this peak trading period – giving more back and strengthening its support for independent retailers with relevant offers for the festive period.
Inspired by the animated Christmas adventure film, Polar Express, retailers can enjoy a ride on the Bestway Profit Express steam engine, an unmissable and exciting journey to the North Pole. Along the way there will be several stops brimming with amazing festive deals where retailers can jump off to take advantage of the promotions and enjoy the festive cheer.
Each of the Profit Express carriages will be a real focus of the campaign, specially conceived to inspire customer excitement and interaction and display the promotional offers in depots nationwide. Large digital screens within depots will shine a light on special products, retailer promotions and supplier content.
Online, Bestway has taken the Profit Express train to the virtual digital realm giving its site a festive glow up of all the things it loves about Christmas. Its website www.bestwaywholesale.co.uk will be reflecting the festive spirit through a disruptive animated homepage and dedicated landing page with its 2024 seasons greetings of fabulous deals and promotions.With a train ride in the snow, Bestway will take its customers on a journey of key branded offers.
As a huge part of the trading calendar, Bestway aims to share the Christmas trading spirit with creatively themed marketing digital communications with a series of emails, WhatsApps and competitions to be won, ensuring its retailers are the first to hear about the promotions via targeted messages.
Kenton Burchell, Trading Director for Bestway Wholesale and Retail, says:
“We are really excited by this year’s Christmas campaign and confident we’re offering the very best deals in the market. We’ve saved some top deals of the year for the biggest shopping season to help our customers to increase sales and optimise their margin and profit at this time.
“Retailers can enjoy large-scale fun which is interactive and engaging directly with them in our depots and online on our website and apps. This year’s campaign is based on the story (now a much-loved film) about a young boy who embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express, while learning about the spirit of Christmas.
“It’s the perfect forum for suppliers to showcase their Christmas products, enhance brand visibility and drive additional sales during this key trading period.
Burchell concludes:
“We hope the campaign will encourage our retailers to make Bestway their number one choice of where to shop for their festive products this Christmas. By doing so, they will be rewarded – our whole aim is to help them make more possible for their business and their customers this Christmas”.
Imperial Brands has reported a robust performance for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, helped by strong cigarette prices and rise in its Next Generation Products (NGP) segment.
The group, whose brands include Golden Virginia tobacco, Rizla rolling papers, Winston cigarettes and the vaping brand blu, delivered a 4.6 per cent increase in tobacco and NGP net revenue on a constant currency basis. This was driven by strong pricing in the tobacco segment, which offset a 4 per cent decline in volume, and a remarkable 26.4 per cent rise in NGP revenue.
Group adjusted operating profit also grew by 4.6 per cent at constant currency to £3.9bn, reflecting operational resilience and strategic execution.
“As we enter the final year of our current strategy, the investment we have made in consumer capabilities, cultural transformation and agile ways of working has supported another year of accelerated financial delivery and growing capital returns,” Stefan Bomhard, chief executive, said.
In tobacco, the group has delivered aggregate market share gains across its five priority markets, with four out of five markets in share growth. In the UK, the company faced a 50 basis point decline in market share, which it attributed to high excise duties and a rise in illicit tobacco trade.
However, the company said, despite these challenges, the UK remains “an important value contributor.” Tobacco and NGP net revenue in the UK accounted for 7 per cent of the group's total, supported by strategic price increases. The NGP sales benefited from the successful roll-out of new products including the 1,000-puff blu bar disposable and the rechargeable blu bar kit, the company added.
NGP has emerged as a growth driver, with Imperial for the first time reporting increased revenue in all three regions.
In the Europe region, the company saw strong growth in vape, led by the UK and supported by new products including the 1,000-puff blu bar disposable and the rechargeable blu bar kit. The NGP net revenue in Europe now represents around 8 per cent of tobacco and NGP net revenue.
CEO Stefan Bomhard expressed confidence in delivering the final year of the group's current strategy, highlighting the transformation into a strong challenger in the tobacco and NGP sectors.
“Our operational delivery coupled with consistently strong cash flow generation has supported enhanced shareholder returns with increases to both our ordinary dividend and share buyback. We are on track to deliver five-year capital returns of c. £10bn, representing 67 per cent of our market capitalisation in January 2021 when we launched our strategy,” he said.
In the coming year, the company expects to deliver low single-digit tobacco and NGP net revenue growth and to grow the group adjusted operating profit close to the middle of our mid-single digit range, driven by continued profit growth from the combustible tobacco business and a further reduction in operating losses in the NGP portfolio.