(L to R) Ribbon cutting with the Mayor of Wolverhampton, Cllr Sandra Samuels OBE, Sarah Lawler, One Stop Managing Director and Dave Hurdiss, One Stop Silverton Way Store Manager
Convenience retailer, One Stop, celebrated the opening of its 1000th store on Friday 17 February, officially opened by the Mayor of Wolverhampton, Cllr Sandra Samuels OBE and One Stop Managing Director, Sarah Lawler.
It was fitting for the Mayor to attend the store opening, as One Stop started its journey in the same city as a simple market stall nearly half a century ago.
Once the store was officially opened with the cut of a ribbon, customers filled the aisles, and were delighted to welcome One Stop to the area. The first 100 customers received goodie bags, with £20 One Stop vouchers hidden all around the store for customers to find. On top of this, there were cakes and sandwiches available for all, with Warburtons supporting the opening, giving away 100’s of goodie bags to customers.
(L to R) One Stop Community Donations - Wednesfield Scout Group: Dave Hurdiss, One Stop Silverton Way Store Manager, Kim Welsh, One Stop Community Advisor, Nigel Blout, Wednesfield Scout Group, Toyah Glennon, One Stop Community Advisor, Cllr Sandra Samuels OBE, Mayor of Wolverhampton
Also in attendance were 10 local charities from the Wolverhampton area, each receiving a £1,000 donation from One Stop. These donations follow on from the retailers recent fundraising and donation milestone figure of £10 million raised over the last 10 years.
One Stop is introducing many sustainability initiatives across their business, as they continue their journey to have carbon neutral operations by 2035. As part of the event, One Stop unveiled a bench which they are donating to the local community. The bench was made from the company’s recycled plastics and was created in partnership with Veolia.
The new convenience store provides the area with quality products and great deals across many different categories with a wide range of everyday essentials. One Stop stocks some of the nation’s most popular and well-known brands with the retailer’s own label ‘Selected by Tesco’ range also available. Highlighting the link between One Stop’s own label fresh food and the market leading quality of Tesco.
One Stop has been recognised with several industry awards including 2022 "Convenience Retailer of the Year" at the Retail Industry Awards.
“The opening of our 1000th store was a wonderful milestone for us, and it’s been great to share with our customers, colleagues and the general public," said Sarah Lawler, One Stop Managing Director. "I was delighted to see all of the activities we planned for the day really come together; the true reward was seeing how engaged the local community was throughout the event."
One Stop supports three national charities and countless regional and community organisations and grassroots initiatives. One Stop has also donated 200,000 foodbank meals and has been working on key programmes to make food more readily available to others. This includes joining initiatives including "Too Good to Go" and OLIO.
A selection of disposable vapes with bright and colourful packaging are seen in a convenience store, on January 29, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
The decision to ban disposable vapes by June 2025 has sparked strong reactions across the vaping and retail sectors, with key industry figures voicing concerns about the impact on public health and called for a balanced approach to support smokers switching to vaping as a safer alternative.
A spokesperson of Elfbar, the leading disposable vape brand, highlighted the role of the product in smoking cessation, citing that “nearly three million people in Britain have quit smoking using vapes in the last five years,” with single-use vapes comprising over 60 per cent of the UK market.
The brand warned of unintended consequences, noting, “Our concern is the potential impact on the majority of single-use vapers – adult smokers…pushing them to the black market and illicit products.”
Liam Humberstone, technical director at Totally Wicked, also pointed out the public health benefits of disposable vapes, noting they’ve served as “a key entry point for many smokers seeking an easy-to-use, effective alternative.”
While recognising environmental and youth access issues, Humberstone said “proper regulation, enforcement, and education are vital in addressing these concerns and … it’s crucial to ensure that adult smokers continue to have access to safer alternatives to cigarettes.”
James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, welcomed the government’s intention to provide businesses with enough time to prepare for the changes, but added: “This is still a challenging timetable for retailers and their supply chains.” He called for strict enforcement against rogue sellers post-ban to prevent black-market sales, which “undermine legitimate retailers.”
Mo Razzaq, national president of the Federation of Independent Retailers, suggested an alternative approach to an outright ban, advocating for a recycling scheme akin to that for single-use drink containers. “An outright ban will simply send many vapers towards unorthodox and illicit sources,” he said, highlighting the risk posed by products that may not comply with UK health standards.
Consumer advocacy groups echoed these concerns. Mike Salem of the Consumer Choice Center criticised the government for pushing through the ban during Stoptober, a campaign month encouraging smokers to switch to vaping. “Announcing such a policy…seriously damages governmental and NGO efforts in reaching a smoke-free society by 2030,” Salem said.
The UK Vaping Industry Association’s director general, John Dunne, cautioned that a ban might exacerbate black market sales, saying, “Bans are not the answer as we’ve seen in other parts of the world…they will only boost the black market.”
Dunne advocated for stronger enforcement and proposed a licensing scheme for vape retailers to help control sales to minors and ensure environmental compliance, calling for “fines of up to £10,000 and £100,000 for retailers and distributors respectively who break the law.”
The Independent British Vape Trade Association’s chair Marcus Saxton also voiced concerns about the ban's potential to mislead the public on vaping’s relative safety.
“Banning an entire category of vapes is likely to fuel public misperceptions about the relative safety of vaping to smoking. Adults using single use disposable vapes outnumber those that are under 18 by several times. Consequently there needs to be clear messaging from government to encourage those adults not to simply revert to smoking,” he said.
Saxton criticised the absence of an importation ban in the new legislation, arguing that it will lead to increased illicit trade.
The government has laid legislation to introduce the ban and, subject to parliamentary approval, businesses will have until 1June 2025 to sell any remaining stock they hold and prepare for the ban coming into force.
High streets in the UK are collectively pay one third of all business rates while accounting for 9 per cent of the economy, British Retail Consortium (BRC) stated on Thursday (24), strengthening its call for a fairer level of business rates for hospitality and retail.
BRC and UKHospitalityare united in their call for the Chancellor to implement a fairer level of business rates for hospitality and retail at the Budget, which will rebalance a system that unfairly punishes our high streets and town centres. This was a manifesto pledge from Labour ahead of the election.
A lower rate for hospitality and retail, which together employ around six million people, would unlock investment in our high streets, while also stemming the loss of shops, pubs, restaurants and hotels, and the jobs that rely on them.
In 2023-24, retail and hospitality businesses combined to pay almost £9 billion in business rates, 34 per cent of the overall rates bill, while accounting for only 9 per cent of the overall economy.
Current business rates relief for retail and hospitality is set to end on 31 March, costing the sectors a combined £2.5bn. That would take their bill up to £11bn, accounting for 44 per cent of total rates.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said, "Consumers want diverse and thriving high streets, but this is held back by the broken business rates system. It is the biggest barrier to local investment and prevents the creation of new shops and jobs.
"Already, the industry pays far more than its fair share – retail accounts for 5 per cent of the economy, but pays 7.4 per cent of all business taxes, and over 20 per cent of all business rates. The Budget is a great opportunity to right this imbalance, ensuring that retail pays a fairer level of business rates."
Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said, "Hospitality is at the heart of our communities but the enormous value it delivers both socially and economically is under threat from the inflated business rates bill the sector has to foot.
"High street businesses paying one third of all business rates is absurd and one of the primary reasons why we see our businesses facing financial challenges – it makes running a pub, bar, café or restaurant, to name a few, incredibly expensive.
"Introducing a reduced level of business rates for the high street at the Budget can unlock millions in investment – from new venues to more jobs. Crucially, it would save our high street from countless closures if hospitality had to bear a billion pound business rates hike in April."
Northern Ireland family-run Nisa convenience store has come under Spar NI after 27 years following its acquisition by Henderson Retail. Nisa Circle K Silverwood store in Lurgan was operated by local retailer Patrick Hughes for the past 27 years.
Nisa Silverwood was acquired by Patrick Hughes in 1997. In the past 27 years the store has undergone significant developments due to Hughes' investments to help the business grow and provide more local jobs over the years.
Speaking of his decision to sell to Henderson Retail, Mr Hughes, said: “Henderson Retail taking over ownership and operations of the store is a great opportunity for the staff and the business itself.
“As a local grocer, I have seen how the company has accelerated the growth of convenience in Northern Ireland, investing in their properties to bring even more jobs, services and locally sourced products to communities.
"I have worked closely with the team to ensure the transition goes smoothly and our shoppers feel no disruption whatsoever. I have complete trust that the future of this store, future job creation for the local area and the opportunities surrounding that are vast and I’m delighted to leave this business in such capable hands.”
Under the new ownership, Henderson Retail will further develop and invest in the site, building on an already strong business model to enhance the services offered to shoppers in the local area. The company will soon submit a planning application that will further underpin their commitments towards improving the store for shoppers and staff through accessibility, sustainability, product range and modernisation of the store’s facilities.
Henderson Retail, which is part of the Mallusk-based Henderson Group, has invested £30 million in new stores, developments and renovations throughout its estate in 2024.
Henderson Retail now owns and operates 109 Spar and Eurospar stores in Northern Ireland. The company has recently opened an impressive new-build development at Eurospar Gilford and will open another at Eurospar Doury Road in Ballymena before the end of the year as part of the wider multi-million investment.
UK consumers are in a “despondent mood” as households brace for tax rises in the Budget next week, amid fears that Britain could be entering a “vibecession”, a situation of disconnect between the economy's performance and how people feel about their finances
Research firm GfK’s monthly survey of consumer morale shows confidence has slipped this month, to -21 points, the joint lowest this year. It found that households are gloomier about the general economic situation of the country during the last 12 months, and also over the next year.
Neil Bellamy, consumer insights director at GfK, reckons consumers are "holding their breath” ahead of next Wednesday’s budget statement.
He said, "The largest drop though was in our view of the general economic situation over the last 12 months, down five points to -42. On the plus side, the major purchase index rose two points and future personal financial expectations by one point. As the Budget statement looms, consumers are in a despondent mood despite a fall in the headline rate of inflation. This month’s Consumer Confidence Barometer paints a picture of people holding their breath to see what’s in store for them on 30th October.”
“Consumer confidence fell one point this month to -21, taking the score back down to the level last seen in March this year. Also falling one point are both personal financial situation over the last 12 months and general economic situation over the next 12 months.
Although Labour ruled out increasing taxes on “working people”, various revenue-raising measures could be in the chancellor’s sights, such as capital gains tax (CGT), inheritance tax, employer national insurance contributions, and fuel duty.
A similar picture was presented by PwC on Thursday (24), showing that consumer sentiment index dropped to the lowest level in 2024, led by “notable declines” among those over 65 and the lowest socioeconomic groups.
Over 70 per cent of people polled by PwC are planning to make short-term spending cutbacks, and more households plan to spend less on Christmas presents and celebrations than those who say they’ll spend more.
The drop in confidence comes despite the easing of cost of living pressures recently, with inflation dropping to 1.7 per cent last month.
Nick Gillett, Co-founder and Managing Director of successful spirits distributor Mangrove Global, celebrates India’s contribution to classic toasts with its wonderful and increasingly well-known whiskies
October is here, and our thoughts turn to many of the remaining celebrations of the year – and first up we have Diwali. A time for lavish decorations, food, sweets, and drinks, Diwali begs the question: what will you have in your glass for a toast? For me there’s one answer, and it’s whisky.
Whisky as a category is changing. Enthusiasts are exploring beyond the shores of Scotland and Ireland and buying “world whiskies" from all corners of the globe. North America and Japan have had their moment – and now it’s India’s turn.
Indian whiskies showcase Indian traditions of whisky distilling – with some added innovation. The humid Indian climate ages the spirit much faster, giving deep, complex flavours. But the nation’s distilleries are experimenting with different casks, strengths, and ingredients to bring us fascinating liquids that are now sought after, all over the world.
Nick Gillett
We launched Indri in the UK a few months ago – and it’s been a runaway success that even we couldn’t have predicted. Distilled in Rajasthan, Indri uses six-row barley that’s been grown in the region for thousands of years. The ageing process varies across the range, but let’s take a closer look at the brand’s aptly named, limited edition SKU – Diwali. Aged in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks this whisky is smooth, sweet, and smoky. No bones about it, this is a collector’s item – and there will be another limited release this year.
So, this Diwali, ensure you celebrate India’s whisky-fuelled success and stock a bottle or two of the nation’s favourite on your shelf. And if you celebrate it, have a very enjoyable Diwali.