Greens Retail, a leading convenience store retail chain, has completed a trio of new store openings taking the chain up to 19 stores.
Greens of Dunblane, Greens of Strathblane, and Greens of Ceres have opened over the last six weeks, joining an expanding portfolio of Greens stores across Scotland. The hat-trick of store openings marks a continued significant expansion for the retailer, with the new stores joining the Greens line-up which offers customers a "destination" shopping experience including USPs such as in-store concessions of Pret Express coffee to go; award-winning, Royal-warranted, fifth generation family bakers Fisher and Donaldson; Hot Food to Go and the frozen fizzy drink Skwishee.
These concessions will provide customers with a range of food and beverage options, including freshly baked goods and coffee.
“We are thrilled to have three further stores join the Greens family in Scotland,” said Harris Aslam, Group Managing Director. “The phenomenal response from local communities, which we are an integral part of, is testament to the tailored Greens retail proposition as well as passion which our store and central teams clearly have. There is significant growth to come as well as exciting innovations to be announced in the coming weeks and months across our estate. Whilst the current climate is not without its challenges, there certainly remains lots of opportunity to disrupt the sector and we are excited to lead the way with this.”
Greens Strathblane
To drive footfall into all stores, Greens Retail sister company, Skwishee, hosted their annual Free Skwishee Day on Saturday 22nd April which saw hundreds of customers coming in-store to get a Skwishee for free. The event drove enormous traffic across all Greens stores with many ‘queues out the door’ with excited customers. Store sales also grew substantially due to the unique promotion and increased footfall. Earlier this year, Greens Retail announced its expansion into England as it goes national, after signing a five-year deal with Nisa worth up to £200 million.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Wednesday launched an inquiry into the anticipated acquisition of The Famous Grouse, Naked Malt and affiliated brands by William Grant & Sons Group.
Edrington and William Grant & Sons reached an agreement for the sale of the brands in September last year. William Grant & Sons will buy the brands from The 1887 Company, a subsidiary of Edrington.
Founded in 1896 in Perthshire, Scotland, The Famous Grouse is a much-loved blended whisky brand that would add to William Grant & Sons’ portfolio of renowned whiskies and spirits, that includes Glenfiddich, Grant's, The Balvenie, and Hendrick's Gin, among others.
Edrington, which owns The Macallan, Highland Park and The Glenrothes single malts, said the deal marks the next stage of the company’s strategy to focus on the growth opportunities in the ultra-premium spirits category.
The CMA has invited comments on the transaction from any interested party and a decision on its initial investigation is expected by 27 March.
The UK is witnessing a continued resurgence in cash usage, as revealed by a new report from Nationwide Building Society. For the third consecutive year, cash withdrawals have risen, with ATM withdrawals increasing by nearly 5 per cent over the past year.
In 2024 alone, over 30 million withdrawals were made, totalling £4.34 billion. Since 2021, the number of cash withdrawals has surged by nearly 30 per cent, defying the narrative of digital payment dominance.
The report identifies economic uncertainty and the cost-of-living crisis as significant drivers of this trend. Consumers increasingly turn to cash for budgeting purposes, finding that using physical money helps them manage spending more effectively and maintain financial discipline.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has prompted many consumers and businesses to reevaluate their payment habits. For many, cash remains a trusted, resilient, and private method of payment. Businesses that have shifted to cashless models may be losing customers who prefer the option to pay with cash, underscoring the need for payment flexibility in a challenging economic climate.
“The recent figures show consecutive annual increases since the pandemic. With cash usage continuing to grow year on year, it’s evident that cash is no longer in decline,” said Mike Severs, Sales & Marketing Director at Volumatic, leaders in cash handling solutions. “Businesses must adapt to this trend by maintaining the option to accept cash and promoting it to customers. Investing in cash handling technology can streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.”
Severs also highlighted the risks businesses face when going cashless. He adds: “Those who have moved to card-only payments should reconsider, as they risk losing customers and revenue. We have seen many retailers and quick-service restaurants reintroducing cash payments with significant success, boosting profits and enhancing customer satisfaction.”
As businesses adapt to the rise in cash usage, intelligent cash handling solutions can transform operations. Volumatic’s products, trusted globally by leading brands such as Tesco, McDonald’s, and Odeon, offer efficiency, security, and accuracy.
The CounterCache intelligent (CCi) provides award-winning note validation, secure storage, and accurate note counting at the point of sale. Paired with the CashView Enterprise software, businesses gain comprehensive reporting and visibility from POS to bank.
The CountEasy cash counting scales enable businesses to count a till drawer in under a minute, while the secure CounterCache storage devices and FC300 friction note counter are ideal for handling large cash volumes safely and efficiently.
With cash usage on the rise, businesses are encouraged to align with customer preferences and explore advanced cash handling solutions. By doing so, they can reduce operational costs, enhance security, and capitalise on the growing demand for cash payments – a smart investment in today’s economic environment.
Britain's biggest supermarket group Tesco plans to cut about 400 jobs from stores and its head office, seeking efficiency savings so it can invest in the business, it said on Wednesday.
The move follows that of Sainsbury's, the No. 2 player, which said last week it planned to reduce its headcount by over 3,000 roles.
British companies, and particularly large employers, are facing increased costs this year after the Labour government's first budget in October hiked National Insurance contributions for employers and the national minimum wage.
"We have started speaking to colleagues about a number of proposed changes in our stores and head office, including changing our bakery model in some stores, and updating our management structure in Tesco Mobile phone shops," Tesco said.
"Taken together, the changes we are proposing mean that around 400 roles will be removed."
Tesco said it would try and find alternative roles for impacted staff, noting it currently has 1,000 vacancies across the business.
Theft and violence against retail workers in Britain soared to record levels last year and are "out of control", driven partly by criminal gangs, according to a report published on Thursday.
Industry body the British Retail Consortium's (BRC) annual crime survey found more than 20 million incidents of theft were committed in the year to 31 August 2024, which equates to 55,000 a day, costing retailers a total £2.2 billion.
There were 16 million incidents in the previous year.
The BRC said many more incidents in the latest period were linked to organised crime, with gangs systematically targeting stores across the country.
Incidents of violence and abuse in 2023/24 climbed to over 2,000 per day, up from 1,300 the year before. This is more than three times what it was in 2020, when there were just 455 incidents a day.
Incidents included racial or sexual abuse, physical assault or threats with weapons. There were 70 incidents per day which involved a weapon, more than double the previous year.
"Retail crime is spiralling out of control. People in retail have been spat on, racially abused, and threatened with machetes. Every day this continues, criminals are getting bolder and more aggressive," said Helen Dickinson, head of the BRC.
Satisfaction with the police response to incidents remains low, with 61 per cent of respondents describing it as "poor" or "very poor", the report showed.
"With little faith in police attendance, it is no wonder criminals feel they have a licence to steal, threaten, assault and abuse," said Dickinson.
The BRC said the amount spent on crime prevention also hit a record high, with retailers investing £1.8 billion on measures such as CCTV, security personnel, anti-theft devices and body-worn cameras, up from £1.2 billion in 2022/23.
The Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. It also plans to introduce a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker.
“Staff are working in fear of the next incident of abuse, threats or violence,” Paddy Lillis, general secretary of trade union union Usdaw, said.
“We have campaigned along with the BRC for substantial legislative measures to combat this growing problem and we are pleased that the government will be introducing the Crime and Policing Bill, which will meet our aims. That is only part of the fightback against the criminals and we will continue to work closely with retailers to deliver respect for shop workers.”'
Responding to the report, the police said they had made progress in 2024.
“Over the last year we have made significant strides in our fight against retail crime, strengthening relationships with retailers and greatly improving information sharing which has resulted in a number of high harm offenders being brought to justice,” Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss, the National Police Chiefs’ Council's lead for retail crime, said.
Diageo on Tuesday announced the sale of its majority shareholding in Guinness Ghana Breweries plc to Castel Group.
A key player in the production and distribution of beverages across Africa, Castel will acquire Diageo’s 80.4 per cent stake in the local unit for $81 million (£65.2m).
Diageo will retain ownership of the Guinness brand, and other Diageo brands currently produced by Guinness Ghana (Malta, Orijin, Smirnoff Ice and Alvaro, and mainstream spirits) will be licensed to Guinness Ghana under a new long-term license and royalty agreement.
Diageo said it will continue to drive the brand and marketing strategy for the Guinness brand, in partnership with Castel, to promote continued growth and development in the country.
“Guinness Ghana is performing strongly powered by a fantastic team of people. Through this transaction, I look forward to the Guinness brand continuing to thrive and delivering further growth,” Dayalan Nayager, president Diageo Africa and chief commercial officer, said.
“I am excited to extend our partnership with Castel, a long-term partner in the region with a proven track record.”
Castel Group has significant and extensive expertise across West and Central Africa, and are a partner to Diageo in 11 other markets in Africa.
“This acquisition exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit that drives Castel and marks a new milestone in our growth ambition,” Gregory Clerc, Castel chief executive, said.
“It reflects our ability to go where we are least expected, exploring new horizons on a continent full of opportunities. With this 22nd African country, we reaffirm our dynamism, our boldness, and our confidence in Africa’s potential.”
The company said the latest transaction, and the expanded long-term partnership with Castel, further demonstrates its “active portfolio management and commitment to building an efficient operating model” in West Africa that is structured to deliver long-term and sustainable growth.
The announcement follows the sale in September 2024 of Diageo’s shareholding in Guinness Nigeria plc to Tolaram; the announcement in October 2023 of a wholly-owned dedicated spirits company to strengthen Diageo’s international premium spirits business and serve a wider geographic reach across West Africa; and the sale of Guinness Cameroon to Castel in July 2022.
Diageo’s footprint across Africa consists of East African Breweries Limited (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) and Diageo South West Central, and the company is present in 34 countries with strategic beer and spirits distributors.