Ocado Retail has become the first major supermarket to pilot a new reusable packaging scheme, specially designed for online, in an effort to reduce the use of single-use packaging from customers' weekly shops.
The trial, staged across two phases, will use a reusable vessel, developed specifically to deliver food cupboard staples and laundry products at scale, with no extra cost to the customer. If every household in the UK opted to reuse just one item per week, it would eliminate over 1.4 billion items of single-use packaging per year.
The new reusable range will include frequently purchased items to reduce the use of single-use plastic on everyday items while providing the same quality and value. Phase One of the trial, starting in August, will include Ocado Reuse Basmati Rice 2kg and Ocado Reuse Penne Pasta 1kg. Phase Two, coming later this year, will add Ocado Reuse Non-Bio-Liquid Detergent 3L and Ocado Reuse Skies Fabric Conditioner 3L to the trial.
The reusable container is pre-filled with product and delivered to customers alongside the rest of their Ocado shop. Customers then return the empty container to their next Ocado driver. The containers are then collected from Ocado and hygienically washed before being filled again at the supplier. Each vessel replaces up to five single-use plastic items and is designed to be used over 60 times, leading to a significant reduction in single-use plastic over time.
Research among more than 2,000 consumers undertaken by Ocado Retail and Savanta revealed that there is growing public demand to reduce the use of single-use plastic from grocery shops.
Almost three quarters (72 per cent) are concerned about the amount of waste generated by single-use packaging of grocery products, with one in three opting to use retailers that provide refillable options for their pantry staples. The majority of consumers (73 per cent) also agreed that more supermarkets should offer refillable options, especially across essential items such as pasta (66 per cent), rice (67 per cent), liquid laundry detergent (50 per cent) and fabric conditioner (46 per cent).
While supermarkets are making steps to reduce plastic packaging, figures from this year’s Big Plastic Count estimate that up to 90 billion units of single-use plastics are sold by the UK grocery market each year.
Last year, the Government’s EFRA Committee report highlighted that “increasing the uptake of reusable packaging is essential for reducing the total amount of packaging consumed in the UK.” The online and in-store solutions developed by The Refill Coalition are a key step in creating a viable portfolio of standardised solutions that can work industry-wide.
As a founding member of The Refill Coalition and the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket, Ocado Retail’s aim is to lead on developing an industry standard for online reusable packaging that can be used by any supplier or retailer*. This will enable fast adoption by industry to make reusable packaging available to every UK customer. GoUnpackaged, the UK’s leading refill experts that convened the coalition in 2020, will manage the washing and logistics for Ocado Retail for this part of the trial.
The Refill Coalition has jointly stated,"We are delighted to see Ocado Retail bring a direct to consumer reusable packaging solution to market. As a Coalition we share the mutual objective of reducing single-use plastic packaging and believe that the solutions we have developed present a landmark opportunity for us to make a step change in the commercialisation of reusable packaging which we know can play a significant role in the reduction of single-use plastic packaging.”
Simon Hinks, Product Director at Ocado Retail,"We’re proud to be the first major supermarket to pilot an online reusable packaging scheme. Most people understand the concept and know it works in a physical store but this trial brings the solution straight to customers’ doors. Our customers are already used to giving their bags back to our drivers for recycling - so this is a really sensible next step for us to help our customers reduce single-use plastic on products they buy frequently.”
Rob Spencer, Director at GoUnpackaged: “We are proud to have convened the Refill Coalition to enable the necessary collaboration to bring these new solutions to market. An industry-wide approach will lead to a reuse system that works for everyone in the supply chain and make it easier for shoppers to engage with reuse via online shopping. GoUnpackaged is delighted to be partnering with Ocado Retail to manage the washing and logistics of the consumer vessels for this trial.”
Paul Davidson, Director of the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) Challenge, which is delivered by Innovate UK and has co-funded the work of the Refill Coalition, said, “Online retail offers a unique opportunity to develop and embed reuse and refill in our everyday shopping experience and we are delighted to see the Ocado Retail trial going live. The trial will provide the opportunity to explore how refill can be made convenient and habit-forming for consumers and empower them to make a real contribution to reducing single-use plastic packaging through their online shopping.”
October saw shop prices fall marginally further into deflation for the third consecutive month with food inflation eased, particularly for meat, fish and tea along with chocolate and sweets as retailers treated customers to spooky season deals, shows industry data released today (29).
According to British Retail Consortium (BRC), shop price deflation was at 0.8 per cent in October, down from deflation of 0.6 per cent in the previous month. This is below the 3-month average rate of -0.6 per cent. Shop price annual growth was at its lowest rate since August 2021.
Food inflation slowed to 1.9 per cent in October, down from 2.3% in September. This is above the 3-month average rate of 2.1 per cent . The annual rate continues to ease in this category and inflation remained at its lowest rate since November 2021.
Fresh Food inflation decelerated in October, to 1.0 per cent , down from 1.5 per cent in September. This is below the 3-month average rate of 1.2 per cent . Inflation was its lowest since October 2021.
Ambient Food inflation decelerated to 3.1 per cent in October, down from 3.3 per cent in September. This is below the 3-month average rate of 3.3 per cent and remained at its lowest since March 2022.
Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of the BRC, said, “October saw shop prices fall marginally further into deflation for the third consecutive month. Food inflation eased, particularly for meat, fish and tea as well as chocolate and sweets as retailers treated customers to spooky season deals. In non-food, discounting meant prices fell for electricals such as mobile phones, and DIY as retailers capitalised on the recent pick-up in the housing market.
“With fashion sales finally turning a corner this Autumn, prices edged up slightly for the first time since January as retailers started to unwind the heavy discounting seen over the past year.”
“Households will welcome the continued easing of price inflation, but this downward trajectory is vulnerable to ongoing geopolitical tensions, the impact of climate change on food supplies, and costs from planned and trailed Government regulation. Retail is already paying more than its fair share of taxes compared to other industries.
“The Chancellor using tomorrow’s Budget to introduce a Retail Rates Corrector, a 20 per cent downwards adjustment, to the business rates bills of all retail properties will allow retailers to continue to offer the best possible prices to customers while also opening shops, protecting jobs and unlocking investment.”
Mike Watkins, Head of Retailer and Business Insight, NielsenIQ, said, “Inflation in the food supply chain continues to ease and this helped slow the upward pressure of shop price inflation in October, however other cost pressures remain.
“Consumers remain uncertain about when and where to spend and with Christmas promotions now kicking in, competition for discretionary spend will intensify in both food and non-food retailing.”
Independent retailers are demanding tougher police action, more bobbies on the beat and harsher punishments as shoplifting levels reach an all-time high, a new survey reveals.
A whopping ninety-one per cent of respondents to a survey conducted by the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) called for more police patrols on streets, while a similar number - 90 per cent - said that shoplifters should be handed harsher sentences.
Seven out of 10 respondents (72 per cent) said their stores had experienced shoplifting, break ins and damage to property, while they and their staff had been physically or verbally threatened.
Just under half of respondents (47 per cent) said they and their employees had been threatened or had suffered abuse and violence when asking for proof of age ahead of selling an age-restricted product.
Forty-four per cent reported that they and their staff had faced abuse or violence because they had refused to make a proxy sale – selling an age restricted product to a customer buying for a minor.
The results of the Fed’s survey came as new figures from the Office of National Statistics revealed that shoplifting was at a record high, with almost half a million offences recorded last year.
According to the ONS, 469,788 offences were logged by forces in the year to June 2024 – a 29 per cent increase on the previous 12 months.
The ONS added that this figure was the highest since records began – in March 2003.
“Inadequate responses from the police and a slap on the wrist for offenders means that shoplifting is soaring, and offenders are becoming more aggressive and brazen,” said Fed National President Mo Razzaq.
“From the responses we received, it is clear that real action is needed by police, by courts and by the government to stem the overwhelming tide of crime against retailers and their staff. Everyone deserves to feel safe at work and for their businesses to be protected against criminals.
“Fed members are also sending a clear message that one of the catalysts for verbal and physical abuse in stores is asking for proof of age before selling an age restricted product. If the government presses ahead with its plans to phase out smoking and vaping through a progressive ban to gradually end the sale of tobacco products across the country, independent retailers will be subject to even greater levels of violence, abuse and theft.”
Calling for action from the government and not just words, Mr Razzaq continued: “Without effective deterrent, criminals and opportunistic members of the public will continue to commit crimes.”
According to Ministry of Justice statistics, during the year to March 2024, 431 fines were handed out for retail theft under £100, while Home Office statistics for the same period show that 2,252 cautions were accepted for shoplifting.
PayPoint has announced a new partnership with Leeds Credit Union (‘LCU’), a financial cooperative with 37,000 members, enabling them access to its CashOut service, effective immediately.
The partnership will mean that LCU customers can access their cash and savings across any of PayPoint’s UK network of 29,000 retailer partners. This represents an unprecedented growth in accessibility and the first partnership of its kind for LCU. Historically customers have needed to visit one of LCU’s four branches to withdraw money.
Leeds Credit Union provides straightforward, affordable financial services. As a mutual there are no shareholders, so it is owned by its members and always has the interests of the members at the heart of everything it does. The credit union prides itself on providing members with the most appropriate services based on their circumstances.
“Our partnership with Leeds Credit Union will enable its customers to access their funds more easily than ever before," said Jo Toolan, Managing Director of Payments at PayPoint. "We’re committed to pursuing these kinds of partnerships, which enable credit unions to offer a more competitive and technologically advanced service, while simultaneously making the lives of customers that little bit easier through enhanced access.”
Greg Potter, Head of Marketing & Member Experience at Leeds Credit Union, said: “Increasingly, we’re looking at ways that we can apply technological solutions and partnerships to add value to the experience of our members using Leeds Credit Union. This partnership is demonstrative of our determination to grow in their best interests and will make access to funds something that can be done at any of a number of PayPoint locations in the UK.”
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A Philip Morris logo is pictured on a factory in Serrieres near Neuchatel, Switzerland December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
Marlboro-maker Philip Morris said Tuesday it planned to close down its two production sites in Germany, citing falling demand for cigarettes among Europeans.
"In recent years, demand for cigarettes in Europe has fallen significantly," the company said in a statement, adding that it saw the same trend for roll-your-own tobacco.
"This trend is expected to continue in the coming years," the company said.
Many smokers have been shifting to e-cigarettes, or vapes, and heated-tobacco devices.
Philip Morris employs 372 workers at its factories in Berlin and Dresden. Both sites are scheduled for closure next year.
The tobacco giant said it would begin discussions with labour representatives to find "fair and socially responsible solutions" for staff.
Nisa retailer Prem Uthayakumaran has made significant donations totalling £3,500 to two local community organisations through Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally (MADL) charity.
The funds will provide essential support to groups within the communities that his stores serve, helping them continue their invaluable work.
The first of these generous donations was a £1,000 contribution from Broxbourne Service Station in Hertfordshire, directed to the Lea Valley Karate Academy. The funds will enable the academy to purchase much-needed equipment, ensuring that young people and adults in the local area have access to high-quality resources as they develop their skills in martial arts.
Additionally, a £2,500 donation was made by Eastfield and Cross Road Service Stations to the Mansfield Town Ability Counts Football Club. The club, which provides opportunities for individuals with disabilities to participate in football, will use the funds to support their programs, enhancing the experience for current players and making it possible for even more participants to join.
In July 2024, Prem donated £1,000 to Voice of the Vale – a group of young performers at Nottingham Trent University. This followed further self-donations from Prem to Broxbourne Organisation for Disabled and to Mansfield Under 12s Football Club in 2023.
Prem Uthayakumaran said: “Supporting the communities around my stores has always been important to me, and through Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally charity, we’re able to make a real, tangible difference. The Lea Valley Karate Academy and Mansfield Town Ability Counts Football Club both play vital roles in their respective communities, and I’m thrilled to be able to contribute to their success.”
Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally charity enables retailers to donate to local good causes through the sale of Co-op own brand products in their stores. A percentage of sales from these products goes into a MADL fund, which retailers can then use to make donations to charities, schools, sports clubs, and other community groups.Kate Carroll, Head of Charity at Nisa, said, “We are delighted to see retailers like Prem using their MADL funds to support such worthwhile local causes. Both the Lea Valley Karate Academy and Mansfield Town Ability Counts Football Club provide vital services to their communities, and donations like these enable them to continue their important work. At Nisa, we are incredibly proud of our retailers’ commitment to making a difference locally.”
Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally charity has been helping retailers like Prem Uthayakumaran give back to their communities for over 15 years, and with each donation, they help foster stronger, more Connected local areas.