Commuters and shoppers walk past a sign reading "Come on in London" on Oxford Street on April 19, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
The convenience stores have prepped themselves for the 'Freedom Day'- an end to most of the Covid-19 restrictions in England. Some are excited to see their business getting back to normal, whereas few looked worried about how this will turn out.
According to the data from Kantar comparing the 12 weeks to 14th June 2020 to the same period in 2019, symbol and other independent stores increased their share of the grocery market from 1.7 per cent to 2.6 per cent, with the geographical location playing a significant role in determining how individual convenience stores fared during the lockdown.
Convenience stores located in the residential area have mostly benefitted from the changing retail environment as consumers look closer to home. However, for those stores located in city centres, petrol forecourts, or transport hubs, their sales declined. A survey by the Association of Convenience Stores in April 2020 found that while two-thirds of the stores said they had seen a sales increase since the UK went into lockdown, 34 per cent said their sales had fallen, while 26 per cent reported that sales had fallen significantly.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement of lifting the Covid restrictions in England has given hope to many convenience stores located in city centers and business areas.
Somu's convenience store - Mayfair post office that is located in central London has been successfully running for the last 20 years, but the lockdown affected his business as the offices were shut for a long time.
But now he is hopeful that his business will back to normal again. "This (the end of Covid restrictions) will give a good boost to our business. We are expecting that because we are in central London, surrounded by offices. The lockdown really affected us. We used to be a big business. We hope that people will walk to their office, and this will gear up our business," he said.
"We're hoping about July 19. We'll be getting more business."
He was busy stocking up for Monday. "We are spiking up everything now. We have got much to start with as we had thrown away lots of things that expired during that time. Now we are getting all the new stuff and making new sections. We make it for us to start by July 19. We're ready for that."
Raja Brothers Supermarket, Birmingham (Photo: Google)
Raja Brothers Supermarket located in Birmingham is mainly specialised in Asian food. Mohammad Aftab is the fourth generation of his family that has been running this business for the past 47 years.
"I think our shops gonna be busy, there will be no more social distancing in stores. So, people will just carry on, do the shopping. It will be a busy day for us. And we are fully stocked up. And we will have promotion in-store to promote this. And hopefully, we will be back on track," Aftab said.
"It's good, we don't need to pressurise our customers into wearing masks, and requesting them to sanitise. So, people can do what they like if they wish to wear the mask they can. If they don't, they don't have to. So, in that sense, it's more relaxed for us. It's a good beginning to get back to normality, which we need."
For the safety of his staff and the customers, Aftab stressed, "We will still ask our staff to wear their face masks. But if they don't wish to or do not want to, then we cannot really force that upon them. But for their health and safety, we will and always will tell them to look after themselves and the people who come into our store. But again, in the end, it's their choice, and they decide. So, it's all good for us."
However, Chris Taylor of Taylors of Tickhills, a family-run grocery store located not far from Doncaster, said: "It's not going to affect us at all, we're going to carry on just the same. We'll see what comes."
"So, with the rising numbers, we did see lots of people shopping locally. So, I suspect with like rising numbers of confirmed Covid cases, people will probably shop locally, again, where they feel safer."
Sohan Singh, running a Premier store in Herts had similar views. "With regards to ‘Freedom Day’, I don't think there will be much difference to us as we have been trading throughout," he said.
"I am expecting trade to increase as a result of the heatwave and summer weather so in this regard, I have stocked up with extra summer lines ie drinks, and ice creams."
Graham Watson, who runs Watson Grocers in Scotland said: “Things are slightly different here because we've got our own government, and whatever happens down, I don't believe will be replicated in Scotland. I think we are going to be more cautious. And I don't think things will open up here as quickly as they are going to do down. I believe we should be wearing the masks as long as it is necessary. So, it's a bit of a worry, to be honest.”
He added: “What I'm planning to do I'll do a video log to the community ourselves and ask people to continue to wear the masks. If things are the same until it is totally resolved we will be wearing masks, sanitizing, and will be cleaning. We'll be carrying on all the precautions regardless because I have got the staff. But equally, I've got a duty of care to the customers.”
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.