Retailers running independent stores have raised their concern about the rise of energy costs. C-stores anticipate that it would be difficult to manage their business cost with what they earn from the margins they get on the products. They are trying to implement all the ways through which they can bring down the business cost but they want the government to look into this matter and help them in running their business.
Soft drinks, chilled products, and confectionery are the three best-selling categories in Pritina Patel's Nisa Local store in Birmingham. She says, "Electricity bill has gone up beyond the normal costs associated with running a shop. You don't necessarily see this but the frontline base or the sort of background costs have started to increase quite a lot. Suddenly, the bill in a quarter goes from about three, four grand to about six, seven grand. So that's quite a big chunk cutting (the profit)."
She informs, "I had my electricity contract just run out recently and the suppliers are telling me that you could either have a short contract and wait, and hope that prices come down, but there's no guarantee of that. So, it's, sometimes you have to bite the bullet therein and just go with the best case scenario at the moment."
"I think some retailers are waiting, but who knows in 12 months the prices could have shot up or maybe could have come down but we just don't know at the moment, there's not much information out there either about it."
"So not much can be done about things like that, we can only try cost saving as possible as in the shop. But at the end of the day, then the lights still need to be on, the fridges still need to be running.
Pritina Patel
"Something needs to be done about that, especially for us retailers, because obviously, we're working on fine margins as it is and then we suddenly have that cost going up and you can't run a store without the electricity. Maybe the government needs to have a look in issue contracts, and prices are being done at the moment," she opines.
Amish Shingadia of Londis Caterways and Post Office says the electricity bill has so far doubled in cost
"It cost us the same as a 30-hour member of staff. We are planning a refit and extra chillers in our store, but now considering the current situation, we are looking at the most energy-efficient chillers," he explains.
Amish Shingadia of Londis Caterways and Post Office
"At this moment, [we’re] looking at costs savings through credit providers, reducing staff hours and wages. Also looking at increasing store margins by stocking high-profit goods."
Blantyre retailer Shahid Razzaq who runs Premier Mo's store is also looking at margins and taking lower margin products off the shelves.
"We're all struggling with rising costs more than anything else. We are trying to reduce our costs as much as possible. We're also trying to reduce our energy costs by switching off extra lights, putting timers on stretchers," he says.
Shahid Razzaq
"Unfortunately, another thing we are doing to deal with the rising cost is shuffling our product line and lowering down the products with low margins because we can't afford low margins at this moment. It's not feasible."
Personal toll
The increase in energy costs is also taking a personal toll on shop workers. The retail trade union, Usdaw recently conducted a survey with its 3,000 members and found that 75 per cent have already relied on unsecured borrowing to pay bills, with 57 per cent now struggling to keep up with repayments.
When asked how they would cope with a price cap hike, 30 per cent said they would not use heating; 62 per cent would significantly cut down on heating; 40 per cent would cut out other essentials, such as food and 80 per cent reported that financial worries are impacting their mental health.
"It is heart-breaking to hear that so many low-paid essential workers, who kept the country going during the pandemic, are already struggling to pay their energy bills. That's before the energy price cap is increased by what is expected to be around 50 per cent," Paddy Lillis, Usdaw General Secretary said.
"Surely ministers cannot fail to be moved by the evidence from our survey showing that three-quarters are forced to borrow to pay bills and over half are struggling with repayments. 40 per cent are having to choose between heating or eating. Almost all will have to significantly reduce heating use or switch it off altogether if the price cap is significantly raised, as expected.
"This cost of living crisis is also a mental health crisis. Prices are rocketing, wages are barely growing and the government is distracted by parties. It is no surprise, but deeply worrying, that stress, anxiety and mental health concerns are increasing.
USdaw , in a statement, quoted a retail worker from Scotland, "The cost of living is increasing drastically and the working wages are not, so it's leaving us with less money each month. Energy bills are a real struggle and with the price hike in April we will all struggle to pay these and have cash for essentials."
Another retail worker from Midlands says, "Financial struggles have been impacting my mental health tremendously and have also been impacting my performance at work. With food prices, energy bills, and national insurance on the rise, I find it worrying that someone in a management position is still living pay cheque to pay cheque.
"Essential food items and energy bills are going up. It's hard to keep up. Have to borrow expensive loans to pay rent, bills, travel expenses on credit cards. Looks like we will drown in debt if it keeps going like this and cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel," a Retail worker from South East said.
‘Don’t ignore businesses’
Yesterday (February 3), Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a payment of £350 to help UK households cope with a rise in energy bills. The Federation of Independent Retailers (NFRN) welcomed the government's decision but also urged the government on behalf of independent retailers to help small businesses struggling amid rocketing costs.
NFRN National President Narinder Randhawa said, "Our 11,000 members are facing a string of cost hikes in April, with increases to minimum wage rates and national insurance contributions, the reintroduction of business rates, and now rocketing gas and electricity bills.
"To satisfy customer demand and to keep everyone safe, our members' stores contain chillers, freezers, EPoS, bright lighting, and CCTV. As each year passes, it becomes increasingly difficult to cut these costs.
"Members in town and city centre locations have also seen footfall drop during the lockdown and as workers continue to resist calls to go back to the office."
Randhawa said he will be writing to Sunak to ask him not to turn his back on independent retailers and to give them help and support as their bills rocket.
Scottish NFRN president Ferhan Ashiq worries that the huge rise in overheads will force local stores out of business unless action is taken to protect them.
He said: "The renewal price for my electricity contract went up from £19,500 to £45,000, and when you add on all the other extra costs it's becoming more and more difficult to keep trading.
"Other retailers have contacted me to say they have the same concerns. Businesses, in general, are going to start falling this year unless something is done about energy prices."
Ferhan also met with Scottish Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar MSP and his local MSP Martin Whitfield to explain the problems facing retailers and other small businesses.
Ashiq said, "I've been having regular conversations with Martin Whitfield about the serious challenges we are facing and I wanted to air my views that unless something is done, more businesses will start to fail and eventually close.
"He explained that the Scottish government has limited powers at their disposal on the issue of rising energy prices and that it is a matter reserved for Westminster. That being said, there are other avenues we can explore that may help mitigate rising costs. He suggested raising these points at the meeting with Daniel Johnson MSP on February 24 to eke out a strategy."
"When someone is closing down their business due to factors beyond their control, their closing expenditure should be minimalised by legislation. It adds financial burdens and mental health issues upon that particular individual."
As industry leaders is cash handling, Volumatic has long supported the use of cash and the importance of maintaining access to cash for both consumers and businesses. The company recognises the importance of the new set of rules created by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) two months ago, to safeguard access to cash for businesses and consumers across the UK.
Since introduction, the new rules are intended to ensure that individuals and businesses who rely on cash can continue to access it and the outcome has already sparked the creation of 15 new banking hubs across the UK, including one in Scotland, with many more to follow.
These hubs provide shared spaces for consumers to access basic services, such as depositing and withdrawing cash, and are being embraced by businesses keen to support the use of cash, who have been struggling in recent years due to the flurry of bank closures across the UK.
With this in mind, Volumatic welcomes the increase in banking hubs and other facilities but recommends businesses go one step further to make things even easier.
“We have known for some time that more and more people are using cash again on a daily basis and so it’s great that access to cash is being protected by the FCA, something that we and others in the industry have been campaigning for, for a long time,” said Volumatic’s Sales & Marketing Director Mike Severs. “Both businesses and consumers need to have easy and local access to cash, and these new rules ensure cash usage continues to rise and will encourage more businesses to realise that cash is still an important and valid payment method.”
With time being of the essence for most businesses, making a journey to the nearest bank, banking hub or Post Office isn’t always possible on a daily basis, plus there is the obvious security risk to both the money and the individual taking it to consider.
Volumatic offers integration with the G4S CASH360 integration
Volumatic’s partnership with G4S, announced back in April 2024, means every business dealing in cash anywhere in the UK can have access to a fully managed solution. This will be especially relevant to those who currently have to walk or travel a distance to a bank or PO to deposit their cash.
Severs adds: “Although having more banking facilities is fantastic news, Volumatic can help businesses even more by bringing the bank to them through an investment in technology like the CCi that can offer integration with the G4S CASH360 solution. Together, we make daily cash processing faster, safer, and more secure and the combination of solutions will save businesses time and money for years to come, making it a truly worthwhile investment.“
Volumatic offers a range of cash handling solutions, with their most advanced device being the CounterCache intelligent (CCi). This all-in-one solution validates, counts and stores cash securely at POS, with UK banks currently processing over 2.5 million CCi pouches each year. When coupled with the upgraded CashView Enterprise cash management software and its suite of intelligent apps, the Volumatic CCi can offer a full end-to-end cash management solution – and now goes one step further.
It does this by providing web service integration with other third-party applications such as the CASH360 cash management system, provided by the foremost UK provider of cash security, G4S Cash Solutions (UK).
“Ultimately, only time will tell how successful the FCA’s new rules will prove. In the short amount of time the new legislation has been in place, the signs are already looking good, and coupled with the new technology we offer, it is a good thing for businesses and consumers alike in the ongoing fight for access to cash and more efficient cash processing,” concludes Severs.
Retail technology company Jisp has launched an NPD service as part of its new Direct to Retailer business unit.
The new NPD service will allow brands to launch or trial new products in a guaranteed number of convenience store locations, with on the ground review of execution by Jisp’s retail growth manager team, and performance data and insights deliverable through its scanning technology and back-office systems.
Brands will also be able to draw on retailer and consumer feedback on the product and its performance thanks to Jisp’s significant resource in user communication, with over 1,000 retailers and more than 100,000 registered shoppers.
Brands can set the parameters of the NPD activity delivered through Jisp’s new service, selecting the duration of the campaign, the number of stores to launch into and even the geographic spread or demographic make-up of the stores included.
Product merchandising and promotional execution in store is monitored by the Jisp RGM team and full reporting is available to help brands better understand the success of their new product and shape future promotional strategy.
This robust data and insight set means that Jisp can not only provide a reliable view of what is selling in stores, but through its scanning technology can also indicate who is buying the product, when, where and why.
Alex Rimmer
“As part of our recent strategic review and restructure, we identified five key pillars of growth, or business units through which to drive new business,” said Alex Rimmer, director of marketing & communication at Jisp.
“Our existing core business already provided us the means to develop new services efficiently and through discussions with major brands, retailers, wholesalers and industry authorities, we identified a need for guaranteed implementation and execution of NPD in the convenience sector.”
Compliance is further assured using Jisp’s Scan & Save scanning technology along with a retailer reward scheme which pays stores for their participation and commitment to the process.
With 1,000 stores already registered with Jisp, the company is in talks with other businesses about opening the new NPD service to their stores given the benefits of securing NPD and reward for execution.
“This is a Win-Win for the sector,” added Alex Rimmer. “Brands can create a bespoke NPD launch campaign with a guarantee that their product will be instore, on shelf and correctly merchandised and promoted, receiving actionable data and insight to shape future strategy. Retailers secure access to NPD, support in merchandising it and reward for taking part, while customers find more local touch points where NPD from their favourite brands are available.”
With this new service promising to be such a valuable asset to the market, retailers and brands are encouraged to contact Jisp to capitalise on the opportunities.
Tesco is slashing the price of more than 222 own-brand and branded products in its Express convenience stores.
Essentials including milk, bread, pasta and coffee are included in the lines which have been reduced in price by an average of more than 10 per cent at Tesco Express stores. The retail giant has made more than 2,800 price cuts across stores in recent months. With 2,048 of convenience stores at the end of the 2023-24 financial year, Tesco aims to benefit hundreds of thousands of customers from the cheaper deals.
The firm said the move comes in the wake of more than 2,800 price cuts made by the chain across its stores in recent months. From Wednesday, customers will pay £1.45 for a four-pint bottle of milk at their local Tesco Express store (down from £1.55) and a Tesco Toastie White Thick White Loaf is also 10p cheaper at 75p.
There are even bigger savings on Tesco Chicken Breast Portions (300g), which have dropped in price by 25p to just £2.25 and a 200g jar of Tesco Gold Instant Coffee now also costs 25p less at just £2.25. Among the branded products with price cuts are Warburtons White Sliced Sandwich Rolls, with the price of a six-pack cut by 10p to just £1.20 and Domestos Original Bleach 750ml, which is now just £1.19 in Express stores after an 11p price cut.
Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said, “Today’s round of price cuts on more than 200 lines in our Express stores underlines our commitment to offering great value to Tesco customers.
"Whether you are picking up coffee and milk for the office or a loaf of bread and a tin of soup on the way home, our Express stores offer both convenience and great value.”
This comes a week after One Stop, the convenience store chain owned by Tesco, has reported a surge in sales to nearly £1.3bn during its latest financial year. The Walsall-based company posted a revenue of £1.29bn for the 12 months to 24 February, 2024, an increase from the previous year's £1.17bn. Over the course of the year, the number of stores directly operated by One Stop increased from 712 to 733, while its franchised locations also grew from 291 to 317.
1. One in five people who have successfully quit smoking in England currently vape, with an estimated 2.2 million individuals using e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool.
2. The increase in vaping among ex-smokers is largely driven by the use of e-cigarettes in quit attempts, with a rise in vaping uptake among people who had previously quit smoking for many years before taking up vaping.
3. While vaping may be a less harmful option compared to smoking, there are concerns about the potential long-term implications of vaping on relapse risk and nicotine addiction. Further research is needed to assess the impact of vaping on smoking cessation outcomes.
ABOUT one in five people who have stopped smoking for more than a year in England currently vape, equivalent to 2.2 million people, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.
The study, published in the journal BMC Medicine and funded by Cancer Research UK, found that this increased prevalence was largely driven by greater use of e-cigarettes in attempts to quit smoking.
However, the researchers also found a rise in vaping uptake among people who had already stopped smoking, with an estimated one in 10 ex-smokers who vape having quit smoking prior to 2011, when e-cigarettes started to become popular. Some of those smokers had quit for many years before taking up vaping.
The study looked at survey data collected between October 2013 and May 2024 from 54,251 adults (18 and over) in England who reported they had stopped smoking or had tried to stop smoking.
“The general increase in vaping among ex-smokers is in line with what we might expect, given the increasing use of e-cigarettes in quit attempts. NHS guidance is that people should not rush to stop vaping after quitting smoking, but to reduce gradually to minimise the risk of relapse,” lead author Dr Sarah Jackson, of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said.
“Previous studies have shown that a substantial proportion of people who quit smoking with the support of an e-cigarette continue to vape for many months or years after their successful quit attempt.
“However, it is a concern to see an increase in vaping among people who had previously abstained from nicotine for many years. If people in this group might otherwise have relapsed to smoking, vaping is the much less harmful option, but if relapse would not have occurred, they are exposing themselves to more risk than not smoking or vaping.”
For the study, researchers used data from the Smoking Toolkit Study, an ongoing survey that interviews a different representative sample of adults in England each month.
The team found that one in 50 people in England who had quit smoking more than a year earlier reported vaping in 2013, rising steadily to one in 10 by the end of 2017. This figure remained stable for several years and then increased sharply from 2021, when disposable e-cigarettes became popular, reaching one in five in 2024 (estimated as 2.2 million people).
The researchers found, at the same time, an increase in the use of e-cigarettes in quit attempts. In 2013, e-cigarettes were used in 27 per cent of quit attempts, while in 2024 they were used in 41 per cent of them.
Senior author Professor Lion Shahab, of UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said: “The implications of these findings are currently unclear. Vaping long term may increase ex-smokers’ relapse risk due to its behavioural similarity to smoking and through maintaining (or reigniting) nicotine addiction. Alternatively, it might reduce the risk of relapse, allowing people to satisfy nicotine cravings through e-cigarettes instead of seeking out uniquely harmful cigarettes. Further longitudinal studies are needed to assess which of these options is more likely.”
Independent retailers association Bira has held a meeting with members of the Treasury team to discuss concerns following its robust response to the Government’s recent Budget announcement.
The Budget, labelled by Bira as "devastating" for independent retailers, was met with widespread indignation from Bira members.
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, said: “Thank you to all the members who have shared their thoughts on the impact of the budget. Based on this feedback, Bira has been robust in its response and judgement of the budget, especially where it is hurting the medium sized independents by as much as an extra cost of £200K per annum.
“We have also held a meeting with members of the Treasury team to discuss our concerns. Whilst there were no indications that any changes would be made, our concerns were listened to.
“We also discussed the proposed reform to business rates which is due to be in place for April 2026. It was clear from the meeting that Bira will be fully involved with this reform.”
Bira, representing over 6,000 independent retailers across the UK, earlier stated that the reduction in business rates relief from 75 per cent to 40 per cent (capped at £110k) from April 2025 will more than double costs for many retailers.
As a post-budget reaction, Goodacre said on Oct 30, "This is without doubt the worst Budget for independent retailers I have seen in my time representing the sector. The government's actions today show complete disregard for the thousands of hard-working shop owners who form the backbone of our high streets.
"Small retailers, who have already endured years of challenging trading conditions, now face a perfect storm of crippling cost increases. Their business rates will more than double as relief drops from 75 per cent to 40 per cent, while they're hit simultaneously with employer National Insurance rising to 15 per cent and a lower threshold of £5,000, down from £9,100. Add to this the minimum wage increase to £12.21, and many of our members are telling us they simply cannot survive this onslaught."