Newcastle United has announced the early extension of its partnership with parcel delivery service, InPost. This follows a very successful first 12 months which has seen a number of community activations reach thousands of fans in the North East.
To kick off the partnership, InPost installed bespoke Lockers at St. James’s Park, the first in the country at a Premier League stadium, and has since gone on to form a key part of the club’s newly launched ecommerce offering, giving fans the option of online deliveries to be sent to any InPost Locker across the UK.
As well as using their logistical expertise to benefit supporters, InPost has partnered with the club and Newcastle United Foundation on a number of community initiatives.
As part of an innovative campaign to support the club’s mental health engagements in October 2024, InPost captured personal wellbeing messages from first team players and placed them inside its lockers for its customers to read – proving “what’s inside really does matter”.
Building on this message of mental wellbeing and community connection, this month the Newcastle United Foundation will launch a collaborative art project with InPost. The project will feature artwork created by local school pupils, alongside contributions from a talented local artist. This project will provide visitors to the Foundation with a thoughtful and engaging display that celebrates the creativity and spirit of the local community.
“Over the past 12 months, InPost has become immersed in the football club and city,” said Newcastle United’s Chief Commercial Officer, Peter Silverstone. “We have been able to offer bespoke, localised services to our supporters which are powerful, positive and meaningful to the Newcastle community. As a result, this partnership has been a resounding success for both parties and is testament to the incredible spirit that has been forged so quickly with InPost.”
Michael Rouse, CEO International of InPost group, added: “Our partnership with Newcastle United reflects a shared ambition to make a tangible difference – both for the club’s supporters and the wider community. Together, we are building meaningful connections with thousands of consumers and supporting the communities at the heart of InPost and Newcastle United.
“We look forward to growing this partnership and providing even more consumers with new initiatives and innovative delivery solutions for the future.”
Bottles of Nc'nean Organic Single Malt Whisky, labelled for export to the USA, are pictured at their distillery in Drimnin, in the western highlands of Scotland on February 3, 2025.
At the end of a wild peninsula battered by winds in west Scotland is a zero-carbon whisky distillery that's bracing for the possible return of US tariffs.
President Donald Trump has launched trade wars with Canada, China and Mexico and has Europe in his sights - spooking Scotland's export-focused whisky industry.
The US remains the primary export market for Scotch whisky, accounting for £1 billion per year.
Geopolitical trade tensions feel far away from the small Nc'nean distillery, tucked away in Drimnin on the sparsely populated Morvern peninsula, western Scotland.
But taxes threaten to undermine the young brand's efforts to generate a third of its revenue stateside.
Scotland's whisky industry is well-acquainted with the toll of tariffs, having suffered a £600 million hit during Trump's first term.
Nc'nean launched in the key US market a year and a half ago, expanding into 28 states, after then president Joe Biden's administration revoked the levies.
"You don't just enter the US, and suddenly you're everywhere. You have to go state by state," said Nc'nean founder Annabel Thomas, referencing the time and effort that goes into building up a presence in the world's biggest economy.
Breaking stereotypes
To set itself apart from Scotland's 150 distilleries, the brand said it produces the country's only certified zero-carbon organic whisky.
It uses recycled water to cool machines and sells its whisky in recycled glass bottles. It replants the wood used to power its biomass furnace and takes the residues to use as fertiliser.
That's all part of Thomas's aim for Nc'nean to court a new type of customer and break free from old-fashioned stereotypes that saw whisky become associated with cigar-smoking male clients.
Differentiation is key for the US market, Thomas explained, as she stood among her 4,500 second-hand oak barrels bought mostly from American bourbon producers.
Oak casks, used to mature whisky, are pictured at the Nc'nean distillery in Drimnin, in the western highlands of Scotland on February 3, 2025Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images
Having a female founder at the helm is also a plus for consumers, she said, adding that the United States has "a much bigger focus on diversity".
However, on the subject of tariffs, "it's not good news", she said.
Tariffs that match those imposed in 2019, at 25 percent, would be "very significant", Thomas added.
"However, if it's only 10 percent, that's much more manageable."
She said that the company would reduce its margins, in the hopes that tariffs would be temporary.
Otherwise, her 21-person company, not yet profitable, which barrels the equivalent of 300,000 bottles each year, would turn to focus more on Asia.
'Scottish roots'
Few spirits companies are talking aloud about the unpredictable US president's policies.
Diageo, producer of Johnnie Walker whisky, scrapped on Tuesday a key sales target over Trump's tariff plans, but other giants Pernod-Ricard and William Grant have remained silent on the subject.
The industry's lobby, the Scottish Whisky Association, has expressed only delight at the prospect of working with the US president.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she'll make the case to Trump that Scotch whisky should be spared from tariffs.
"Trump is very proud of his Scottish roots and Scotch whisky is obviously a really important part of the Scottish economy," Reeves told AFP in an interview at the recent World Economic Forum.
William Wemyss, owner of Kingsbarns distillery, said whisky found itself as "collateral damage" during Trump's first term in a trade dispute between Washington and Brussels.
But "this time... the UK is no longer part of the EU", he pointed out.
Trump on Sunday said he believed the trade situation with the UK "can be worked out", adding that he's been "getting along very well" with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Hancocks, the UK’s leading confectionery wholesaler, has expanding its Watford deport and added over 50 new lines.
The new space will add around 600 square feet of selling space to the depot on Colonial Way, which has been in Watford for over 20 years.
Over 50 new lines are being added and are focused across popular sweets for children, novelty sweets, and pick and mix.
Hancocks said this will mean over 5,000 additional new products on the depot shelves for customers to choose from.
The extra space will allow the store to hold more volume across key categories including pick and mix, cables, mallows, kids, novelty and seasonal items.
The depot will also have a dedicated area for clearance stock, which is new to the Watford store.
Customers will see heavily discounted prices on products including crisps and snacks, which previously haven’t been stocked by the depot and reductions on branded chocolates and drinks.
The depot will also be introducing WOW deals, with low prices on key brands including Coca Cola, Haribo bags, Swizzels, Squashies and favourites from Maynard Bassets.
The Watford branch of Hancocks serves around 200 customers a week from all over London and the surrounding areas, as well as Norfolk, Kent, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire and the Midlands.
The depot also supplies to customers based in the Bahamas, US, Bahrain, Hong Kong, and throughout Europe.
“The expansion of the store is great news for retailers from London and further afield who purchase their confectionery from this depot,” Alex Brammer, manager of Hancocks in Watford, said.
“Whether they shop in store or via click and collect, availability will be even better thanks to the additional space we have to hold products, and there will be exciting new lines for them to choose from.
“We have a wide mix of customers shopping with us here ranging from traditional sweet shops and convenience stores to funfairs, TikTok stars and repackers.
“For them, our expansion and new product lines means greater choice, even better availability and shows there really is something for everyone whether you’re looking to stock fun novelty lines, traditional sweets, pick and mix or confectionery gifts.
“We’re always keen to welcome new customers into the depot and show them the excellent range of confectionery we have available.”
Hancocks operates 14 nationwide cash and carry stores and an online channel. Customers can shop online 24/7 with delivery to the door or click and collect options.
Sugro UK, KP Snacks and b2b.store have worked together to complete the first-of-its-kind pre-sell campaign, Sugro WhatsApp E-Presell, using a wholesaler’s WhatsApp channel.
Using functionality in b2b.store’s ProConnect Platform, Sugro UK trialed the new functionality with one of the key Group Members, R&I Jones.
The messages encouraging pre-sell orders for KP Snacks’ McCoy’s Hot ‘n’ Spicy crisps were sent out to R&I Jones customers, allowing retailers to tell a wholesaler how many boxes of the product they would like to purchase.
The entire process was completed within the WhatsApp message, with only a few taps needed for a retailer to record the quantity of products they would like to order, and their customer number.
It is the first WhatsApp message of its kind to be sent in the UK’s food and drink wholesale industry but is expected to become increasingly common as more businesses use paid-for WhatsApp platforms to communicate with customers.
“We are absolutely delighted to launch Sugro WhatsApp E-Presell which enables both Sugro UK Wholesale Members as well as its 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 and distribution from day one of products being available on the market,” said Sugro UK’s Head of Commercial and Marketing Yulia Petitt.
“We’re proud that it’s Sugro member, Aled, R&I Jones who has made such an important first step in the industry’s WhatsApp usage,” added Yulia.
“The KP Snacks promotion was one agreed for all Sugro members, but R&I Jones recognised the opportunity to send this out to its customers using WhatsApp – displaying the power of their channel and getting a direct response.
“The ease and speed of using WhatsApp for these commitments simplifies the presell process, ensures accuracy, and strengthens relationships across the supply chain. It’s definitely the future.”
The message was curated with the help of b2b.store, which had developed the ability to send pre-sell promotions specifically with the wholesale sector in mind.
KP Snacks’ Business Account Manager, Adam Gibbons, was delighted that the McCoy’s Hot ‘n’ Spicy crisps were chosen as the promotion for the pioneering WhatsApp message.
“We recognise that WhatsApp is a marketing tool that’s growing in popularity with wholesalers, so we’re always excited to see the latest developments,” said Gibbons.
“But for a KP Snacks promotion to be the focus of the message is especially notable for us, and we’d like to think that more will follow as the pre-sell functionality becomes more universally available in the future.”
Variety store chain Poundland has seen a significant reduction in serious incidents of theft and lesser cases of anti-social behaviour after installation of body cameras, one of its top executives has stated.
Calling body cameras are a "great visual deterrent" Adam Starkey, Investigations Manager at Poundland stated, "Since installation of the body cameras, we have seen a significant reduction in serious incidents.
"Colleagues have commented that the cameras support their confidence in dealing with anti-social behaviour and they feel protected in the working environment."
Having analysed data from the six months before and after installation, the stores where body cameras have been deployed have seen an average of an 11 per cent decrease in incidents reported, specifically violence towards colleagues, whereas stores without the body cameras have seen a significant increase, especially in violent, weaponised crime.
A high number of spotlight stores (high shrinkage outlets) have benefited from a significant decrease in shoplifting or have dropped off the spotlight list entirely.
"As a company we are focused on listening to our colleagues’ safety concerns and to help them with the issues they face in stores. We hold regular listening groups to encourage utilisation and share best practice.
"From an evidential point of view, the footage is of great quality and easy to manage. This gives further reassurance to our teams when we use the footage for successful prosecutions.”
The body cameras have now been deployed in 177 of the highest risk stores across Poundland and Dealz, with teams in several Pepco stores also equipped with the cameras. Stores across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were selected based on their incident and shrinkage data.
Poundland is using Motorola Solutions’ VideoManager digital evidence management solution to prepare, store and process video data, including the ability to tag and match body camera videos with CCTV footage and other incident data.
CSE has over 30 years’ experience in providing two-way radio and body camera video solutions. It branded the cameras with bespoke logo labels for each store.
Scottish independent retail chain PGNJ Group has reached a significant milestone in its ongoing support for Glasgow charities, with total donations now exceeding £20,000.
This incredible achievement reflects the dedication and generosity of PGNJ colleagues and customers across its 11 stores, with further locations in development for 2025.
Community lies at the heart of PGNJ Group’s ethos. Through its stores and Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally (MADL) initiative, the retailer has raised over £8,000 last year alone.
Recent funds will directly support vital programs that ensure that every baby, child and young person treated at Scotland's largest children's hospital receives the extra special care they deserve.
The charity provides funding life-changing projects and services for the children and families treated at Scotland's largest children's hospital.
“The Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity is incredibly close to the hearts of our staff and customers," said Jay Javid, Director of PGNJ Group. "I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together. Every penny raised in our stores through MADL and other efforts is helping to make a real difference to children and families who need it most. Thank you to everyone who has contributed.”
PGNJ Group has a proud history of giving back through MADL. Recent donations include £1,000 to James Aiton Primary School and contributions of £700 to Glasgow Cash for Kids. These acts of kindness highlight the collective commitment of PGNJ colleagues and customers to supporting their local communities.
Stores raise money through a variety of initiatives, from donation tins at checkouts to the sale of Co-op own brand products in store. This spirit of giving and connection drives the retailer’s success and deepens its bond with the communities it serves.
Kate Carroll, Head of Charity at Nisa, added: “I know how passionate Jay and his staff are about supporting their communities, so I’m delighted to see this generous donation to the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity. I’m sure the money will go to some fantastic initiatives to support young people treated at the hospital.”
By reaching this £20,000 milestone, PGNJ Group has not only demonstrated its dedication to Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity but also reinforced its mission to put community first. As the group expands its presence in 2025, it remains steadfast in its commitment to making a difference locally and supporting causes that resonate with its staff and customers.