Musgrave Northern Ireland has announced the revamp of its four SuperValu stores with an investment of £3.2 million.
The first of the four company-owned stores launched on 12 August in Portstewart to great fanfare with local celebrity home cook, Suzie Lee, and Dave and Steve Flynn from The Happy Pear in attendance.
Creating six additional jobs in the local area, Musgrave invested £1.1m in the store which boasts a new hot and cold deli counter, a Moo’d Ice Cream bar and expanded in-store bakery. The revitalised store also now has a one-of-a-kind off-licence stocking premium wine, beer and spirits as well as a dedicated ‘Zero Zone’ with a wide range of alcohol-free drinks options.
Currently undergoing a £600,000 transformation, the Dairy Farm store in Dunmurry will be the next revitalised store to re-launch, closely followed in September by Portglenone, which is receiving a £720,000 makeover and Omagh, which will launch later in the year following an investment of £730,000.
Aligning with Musgrave NI’s sustainability commitments, the stores are powered using green electricity and feature digital screens, energy efficient LED lighting and top-grade energy efficient refrigeration systems as Musgrave works to achieve its net zero ambition by 2040. In addition, the introduction of electronic shelf edge labels to the stores will save a combined total of 28,000 sheets of paper per year.
“Our rejuvenated SuperValu stores are truly stores of the future,” Caroline Rowan, Head of Retail Operations at Musgrave Northern Ireland said.
“In addition to the £2.7million sustainability fund Musgrave NI has committed to empower SuperValu and Centra retailers become net zero by 2040, we have also invested £850,000 in energy saving materials across these four rejuvenated SuperValu stores, making them as efficient and green as possible.”
With increasing consumer focus on shopping local and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the stores offer an extended range of fresh, local produce at great prices. Working with more than 3,000 local farmers and in partnership with over 150 local suppliers, Musgrave NI said it is committed to supporting the local supplier network across all it’s stores, buying £160m worth of local food and drink annually.
“Offering our customers value for money with a choice of local, own label and big brand products is a priority for Musgrave,” Rowan added.
“Built with the community at their heart, each SuperValu store will offer the same great value to customers with offers on over 200 big brands every week and over 400 cheaper own brand products, up to 33% cheaper than the better-known brands. And with more than 500 of our branded products price-checked against Tesco, we aim to deliver the best value for our customers across our entire range.”
The old-fashioned big trolley shop is resurging back in popularity as Brits return back to office, resuming their pre-Covid lifestyle.
Speaking with Sunday Times, Simon Roberts, the chief executive of the supermarket Sainsbury's, stated, "People are back in the office much more, so people are short of time again … and that’s one of the reasons why we’re seeing this resurgence [in] the big weekly trolley shop."
“If you can go to one store and be certain you can get Monday night’s tea for the family for under £5 and something [nicer] for the weekend … more and more customers are making a decision to do that.”
Under Roberts, who is closing in on five years in the top job, Sainsbury’s has refocused on food and, he argues, is now reaping the benefits. Since he took over, Sainsbury’s has increased its market share from 14.9 to 15.7 per cent.
“Five years ago, we couldn’t fill up our supermarkets, our costs were high, volumes were going backwards and we were losing market share.
"Now we are gaining share and putting more volume through our supermarkets because customers are doing more of their big trolley shop here,” he said.
Roberts also stressed on the importance of value deals, saying that customers make decisions every day based on the price on the shelf and that’s never changed.
"If you’re not super sharp on price customers will go somewhere else”, he said.
In the coming years, Sainsbury's plans to refurbish 180 supermarkets, which will see less floor space for clothing and non-food items, an
Sainsbury's plans to open 40 stores in the coming year — 20 supermarkets and 20 convenience stores.
Roberts also criticised government for burdening the businesses with increased costs at multiple fronts, including hikes to employers’ national insurance announced in the budget.
“It is a major challenge. It was unexpected and … there was very little time to plan for it. Everyone recognises that the government had difficult choices to make, but my very strong position has consistently been that we should have phased this over a period of time,” he said.
“What’s significant [about these costs] is that it’s coming in supply and retail at the same time. If you add up the national insurance impact, the wage impact, the regulatory impact, then it’s not going to be a very low level of inflation [for shoppers],” Roberts warned.
Giving an insight on how Sainsbury's is cutting its costs, Roberts revealed how the supermarket has begun using artificial intelligence to automate demand forecasting, a task that was performed by a team of people a few years ago.
“It might be 5C in the north today but 11C here,” Roberts explained. “That makes a difference to what kind of food people are going to want to buy.
“We can now more and more accurately predict that … availability has got better, waste has gone down and customers are getting more of what they want.”
Legal tobacco sales have nearly halved since 2021 despite little change in the number of smokers, a recent report has shown, highlighting the scale of “out of control” illegally smuggled tobacco in the UK.
The number of cigarettes bought on the legal market fell by 45.5 per cent between 2021 and 2024 while over the same period the number of smokers declined by just 0.5 per cent.
According to the Institute of Economic Affairs, the only plausible explanation for this can be a rapid growth in tobacco sales on the black market.
Dr Christopher Snowdon said, "Official figures recently published by HMRC indicate a huge rise in illicit tobacco sales in the UK since 2021.
"The number of duty-paid cigarettes sold plummeted from 23.6 billion in 2021 to 13.2 billion in 2024, a decline of 44.4 per cent. In the same period, sales of duty-paid hand rolling tobacco (HRT) have dropped from 8.6 million kilograms to 4.5 million kilograms, a decline of 47.6 per cent.
"Overall, the number of cigarettes bought on the legal market fell by 45.5 per cent between 2021 and 2024.
"This unprecedented decline in legal tobacco sales occurred despite the number of smokers falling only modestly. When population growth is taken into account, the number of smokers declined by just 0.5 percentage points between 2021 and 2024, a relative decline of 5 per cent.
"Nor can the decline in legal sales be explained by smokers consuming fewer cigarettes. Research published last year found that daily cigarette consumption has remained stable since 2020 at around 10.5 cigarettes per smoker on average.”
Dr Snowden added, “The only plausible explanation for the collapse in legal tobacco sales is that there has been rapid growth in tobacco sales on the black market.
“These figures should act as a wake-up call to the government. Official estimates of the tobacco tax gap lack all credibility. It is clear that the illicit trade in Britain is very large and has grown dramatically since 2021.”
Grocers are set to benefit on Mother's Day this year as more consumers are expected to have a special meal at home, states a recent report, adding that spending on Mother’s Day is set to reach £2.4 billion in 2025.
According to GlobalData Retail Mother’s Day Intentions Report 2025, the proportion of UK consumers planning to purchase at least one item for Mother’s Day 2025 has risen to 56.4 per cent, a 2.9ppt increase on 2024.
Grocers will benefit from decreased interest in takeaways and dining out this year. 17.5 per cent of Mother’s Day shoppers plan to have a special meal at home with mum, a 3.1ppt increase on 2024.
Dine-in options are crucial, given that Mother’s Day shoppers intend to spend £52.32 on average on food and drink for the event. There will be plenty of room in consumers’ budgets to trade up to premium ranges.
Furthermore, consumers plan to spend £17.43 more on their mums than last year, resulting in an average spend of £125.30. Gifting will be the most popular expense this year, with categories such as clothing, fine jewellery and watches and health and beauty among the most sought-after.
Eleanor Simpson-Gould, Senior Retail Analyst at GlobalData, comments, “Retailers should offer personalised gifting options, including customised clothing, bespoke jewellery pieces, and curated beauty gift sets.
"Providing unique and thoughtful gifts will appeal to the customers looking to make a special gesture on Mother's Day. Additionally, retailers must enhance the shopping experience by offering gift-wrapping services and convenient delivery options to make the process seamless for shoppers.”
Simpson-Gould adds. “The UK consumers are prioritising quality time at home with their mums this Mother’s Day, focusing on special meals, presenting a lucrative opportunity for grocers.
"Upselling opportunities include luxury wines, champagnes, confectionery, and premium meats, and grocers must focus on catering to these preferences to maximise sales potential.”
According to the report, 62.5 per cent of Gen Z consumers agree that “retailers do not do enough to provide gift inspiration.” This sentiment is far higher than that of their cohorts. Almost half of this age group plan to spend more on Mother’s Day this year.
Simpson-Gould concludes, “Retailers must engage with Gen Z shoppers on key social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to promote affordable Mother’s Day gift ideas, offering exclusive discounts and engaging content to attract budget-conscious shoppers.
"Next-day delivery options will be a significant draw for this age group. Given that 63.8 per cent of Gen Z shoppers agree they ‘tend to leave Mother’s Day shopping until the very last minute’ online retailers offering expedited delivery stand to benefit the most from the expenditure ahead of the event.”
Staff at a Bottesford store were threatened with a hammer during a brazen robbery last week, Leicestershire Police said.
The incident, which occurred just after 10:30 am on 12 March, saw a male suspect enter a shop on Grantham Road and brandish the weapon before jumping over the counter. He then proceeded to steal a quantity of cigarettes before fleeing the scene in a silver Volkswagen Tiguan.
No staff members were injured during the ordeal, police confirmed.
Detective Constable Gareth Pallister, leading the investigation, has appealed for witnesses and information.
“While we've already spoken to several people about this incident, I'm appealing to the wider public to identify the person responsible,” Pallister said.
“I'm particularly keen to speak to anyone who saw the silver Volkswagen around the time it happened – and particularly if you have any doorbell, CCTV or dashcam footage. Anything you're able to provide could assist the investigation.”
This violent incident underscores the growing threat faced by retail staff, a trend highlighted in the recently released 2025 ACS Crime Report.
The report, published last week by the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), revealed a record level of theft against convenience store retailers, with an estimated 6.2 million shop theft incidents in the past year, up from 5.6 million the year before.
The report also detailed over 59,000 incidents of violence and 1.2 million instances of verbal abuse in the sector.
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Vape products are displayed for sale on October 27, 2024 in London, England
Heavily criticising the upcoming disposable vape ban, traders in Wes Streeting's constituency of Ilford North have raised the concern that the new law will hurt small businesses and will backfire badly as the product will be available illegally even after the ban.
According to a recent survey by We Vape, 95 per cent of UK traders believe the ban will hurt small businesses.
Some 80 per cent also believe shopkeepers will continue to sell illegal vapes after the disposables ban is enforced on June 1 and certain flavours are prohibited as part of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill currently working its way through parliament.
The survey, commissioned by campaign group We Vape, targeted over 800 independent traders and franchises via industry and trade fair WhatsApp groups to gather their views on the forthcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill and its implications for small businesses.
The poll showed 98 per cent did not support a ban on e-liquid flavours, while 57 per cent knew of shops already selling illegal products.
Business owners were asked 'with the introduction of a vape tax and proposed flavour restrictions, do you think there will be less people visiting your shop to buy vapes?', with 93 per cent answering 'yes'.
The poll also revealed 97 per cent thought restricting vapes would lead to an increase in cigarette use. When asked if 'vapers will try and source illegal vapes as a result of the proposed restrictions?', 96 per cent said yes.
With 167 company responses, the data is considered the most comprehensive retailer research of its kind into government plans to create a smoke-free generation.
Gurdeep Chahal, owner of Somerville Convenience Store, said the disposable vape ban could force his shop to close.
"The bill is only going to make the problem of illicit products worse here and I can't believe my own MP is pushing something that could put me out of business," reported quoted Chahal as saying.
"It's handing the sale of cigarettes to criminals and is going to make it harder for my customers to move to smoke-free products.'