Andy was born in London just in time to see England win the World Cup, and much later began his career in academia, gaining a PhD in American Literature and lecturing at several universities, including Maryland and Gothenburg in Sweden, and pursuing a sideline in sheep-farming before moving back to London and becoming a literary agent and TV documentary-maker (working for various broadcasters and making series such as the BBC’s Monsoon Railway, set in Bengal).
He has written several biographies, including the Second World War story American Pimpernel, and became the official biographer of India’s Prime Minister (then Chief Minister of Gujarat) publishing Narendra Modi, a Political Biography (Harper Collins).
Andy joined Asian Media Group in 2018, his first “proper” job, and has been there ever since, believing that, while trade journalism might not save the world, it might just save journalism.
Industry charity NewstrAid has been highlighting how its new Retailer Support Scheme can help retailers and shop staff who have experienced crime in the workplace.
Although the scheme cannot help with business debts, it can provide a wealth of emotional support as well as financial help if household funds are impacted by a drop in income due to shoplifting or retail crime.
“We know that shoplifting and retail crime is a massive issue for retailers across the country and we are keen to provide whatever assistance we can through our new Retailer Support Scheme,” said Katie Babooram, Welfare Manager for NewstrAid.
The scheme has already helped numerous retailers who have been victims of crime to get back on track. This includes Dev, who confronted a shoplifter and was subjected to a torrent of verbal abuse and violently punched as they made their getaway. This hugely impacted his confidence and mental health as well as that of the staff who were present during the attack.
Babooram continued: “Following an incident of shoplifting or retail crime, most shop owners are understandably focused on finding support for the business losses they may have incurred but it is important to acknowledge the emotional impact experiences like this can have on you and your staff. We were happy to help Dev and his staff by giving them access to the resources on our Wellbeing Website and our emotional support helpline which is manned by clinically trained counsellors.”
The Charity also acknowledges that dealing with business debts caused by retail crime can often have a knock-on effect for household finances. “If an incident has caused a drop in your household income because, for example, you are dealing with shop closure or cannot work due to personal injury, our Retailer Support Scheme may be able to provide financial support for you and your family,” concluded Babooram.
JET New North Road store in Ilford, London is expecting its flower sales to cross £85,000 this year from popular calendar days, including Mother’s Day, International Women’s Day and Valentine’s Day.
Tulips, roses and mixed bunches are among the bouquets expected to sell well this Mother’s Day weekend, with predicted sales of £20-25,000.
Valentine’s Day remains the most popular flower-buying event, with sales of £35,000, while the increasingly popular International Women’s Day celebration recently led to sales of £25,000 for the family-run business.
JET New North Road in Ilford
“We’ve seen our flower sales skyrocket over the years – helped along by calendar days like these,” Kayur Patel, business manager at JET New North Road, said.
“Flowers bring so much joy, and we’re proud to be a part of helping customers bring that joy to their loved ones with a beautiful bouquet!”
Offering high-quality flowers from Amsterdam and Kenya, the Ilford-based service station has become the go-to place for quality flowers in the community - with more than 1,000 customers expected to buy Mother’s Day flowers this weekend.
Unitas Wholesale retail director and executive board member Victoria Lockie is to leave the business in April as she looks to take on a new challenge, the buying group confirmed to Asian Trader today (27).
Lockie joined the business in September 2024.
In a span of six months, she has played a pivotal role in strategically reviewing the Unitas retail proposition and the overall service provided to Unitas members.
Heading up the retail and commercial functions, she has made a significant impact by identifying strategic opportunities, developing her team and revitalising Unitas’ DE&I agenda.
Managing Director John Kinney said, “I would like to thank Victoria for her hard work and commitment in the time that she has worked at Unitas. We all wish her the best of luck with her next opportunity.”
Lockie also oversaw Unitas' Plan for Profit scheme, which is a subscription service offering independent retailers business updates, rewards, and resources to help them succeed in the convenience market, including core range guides and promotional packages.
Prior to Unitas, Lockie spent more than 12 years at NISA.
Joining in 2012 as a sales support manager, Lockie served in positions such as head of retail operations and head of key accounts. Her time at Nisa was transformative, both for herself and the company.
She also led the symbol group’s retail team through significant transitions, including Nisa’s shift from a mutual-style ownership structure to a corporate governance model.
Lockie also became a trustee for MADL (Making A Difference Locally), where she worked to help independent retailers support their local communities.
She is an ambassador for Diversity in Wholesale, Women in Wholesale, GroceryAid, and WiHTL ‘Women to Watch 2024. or many years has heavily supported the Association of Convenience Stores including the more recent Shopkind campaign.
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Brian Eagle Brown with new ShopMate 360 EPoS solution
ShopMate has introduced ShopMate 360, a “streamlined and affordable” EPoS system designed for convenience retailers.
ShopMate said the new solution ihas been developed with small retailers in mind, offering an easy-to-use till interface that requires minimal training. With an intuitive design, even those new to retail technology can quickly get up to speed, ensuring smooth daily operations.
“One thing we often hear is that many EPoS systems come with complex features that small retailers just don’t need. Their tech needs to be smart, but that doesn’t mean loading it up with all the bells and whistles – it actually means the opposite,” Brian Eagle Brown, managing director at ShopMate, told Asian Trader.
The system separates store operations from business management, allowing retailers to focus on till functionality while still having access to key back-office tools like:
Product and category management
Hotkeys and SELs
Wholesaler promotions
User management and reporting
Retailers will benefit from automatic wholesaler pricing and promotions, removing the hassle of manual price updates and ensuring accurate pricing.
Helen and Andrew Wood of Edith Weston Village Store in Edith Weston, Rutland
Additionally, integrated payments with ShopMate Pay simplify payment workflows and reduce overhead costs, offering retailers a single, streamlined solution.
“We understand that convenience retailers need a reliable, easy-to-use solution that helps them run their stores efficiently,” Eagle Brown said. “ShopMate 360 delivers just that – essential functionality without distractions.”
Helen Wood, owner of Edith Weston Village Store, has been among the first to trial ShopMate 360 alongside ShopMate Pay. She praises its intuitive interface: “We’ve found the till interface intuitive and easy to use; everything is precisely where you think it should be. And ShopMate Pay works seamlessly, exactly as you hope it would – it’s just really easy.”
Among the last few tea drinkers, Brits still have profound loyalty for their cup of tea, with Yorkshire Tea standing out as a true favourite, shows a recent survey, also highlighting fall in the popularity of tea among younger generations.
According to a national survey of 6,000 adults by Tracksuit, brand tracking expert for more than 650 consumer labels, those who drink tea, Yorkshire Tea was crowned the favourite brew, surpassing its long-standing rivals PG Tips and Tetley.
Some 24 per cent of tea drinkers said that Yorkshire Tea was their favourite, ahead of PG Tips at 17 per cent and Tetley’s at 15 per cent. Twinings came fourth with 11 per cent, well ahead of Typhoo with 3 per cent.
The survey also found a striking level of loyalty among British tea drinkers, with 39 per cent refusing to switch from their preferred tea brand, which was far higher than the typical 13 per cent loyalty rate across food and drink brands generally.
However, the survey also shows lays bare the rapidly decreasing popularity of tea among younger generations.
Some 37 per cent of people aged under 35 said that they would choose coffee as their favourite hot drink, according to a national survey of 6,000 adults by Tracksuit, brand tracking expert for more than 650 consumer labels.
Tea came third with 25 per cent of those under 35 choosing it as their favourite drink, after hot chocolate in second with 31 per cent.
Analysts said that the figures “suggest [tea’s] popularity could continue to fall in future generations”, raising concerns that beloved cuppa could face extinction as Millennials and Gen Z prefer coffee and hot chocolate to the traditional brew.
Matt Herbert, the author of the report and co-founder of Tracksuit, said, “Our research uncovers the profound loyalty Brits have for their tea, with Yorkshire Tea standing out as a true favourite.
“The data reveals that brand preference goes far beyond taste; it’s an emotional connection. British tea drinkers are weirdly loyal, which speaks to how brands have successfully woven themselves into the fabric of daily life and national identity.”
Prices of some chocolate products have risen by 50 per cent in a year while many have also shrunk in size, states a recent report, raising the concern of shrinkflation among shoppers ahead of Easter celebrations.
The latest report by Which?, the price of eggs made by big names including Cadbury, Mars and Terry’s have risen by as much as 50 per cent in some cases while some have also shrunk in size, according to research by consumer champion Which?.
While official figures published on Wednesday showed inflation slowing to 2.8 per cent in February, a breakdown of the headline figure shows food prices rose 3.3 per cent with the cost of chocolate raced higher, up by a massive 16.5 per cent.
Chocolate has been getting more expensive for several years due to poor harvests in west Africa, in particular Ghana and Ivory Coast, where more than half of the world’s cocoa beans are harvested.
The recent analysis by Which? shows that in one of the discounters, the cost of Terry’s Chocolate Orange mini eggs has risen from 99p to £1.35, while its packet is now reduced from 80g to 70g.
At a supermarket, the price of a Cadbury Creme Egg 5 Pack Mixed Chocolate Box 200g has risen from £2.62 in the run-up to Easter 2024 to £4 this year, equating to 53 per cent price increase per 100g year on year.
On the other hand, Nestlé’s KitKat Chunky milk chocolate Easter egg stayed at the same price in the run-up to Easter year on year at £1.50 but reduced in size from 129g to 110g, making it 17 per cent more expensive per 100g.
Addressing the claims, Mars Wrigley said that, due to rising manufacturing costs, it had adjusted some of its product sizes to minimise changes to its list price.
Nestlé said significant increases in the cost of cocoa had made it much more expensive to manufacture its products and it has “sometimes been necessary to make adjustments to the price or weight of some of the products”.