Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Sustainability project at Derbyshire store reveals £600-a-year savings opportunity for retailers

Sustainability project at Derbyshire store reveals £600-a-year savings opportunity for retailers
Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I have helped Derbyshire retailer Amit Patel save more than £600 a year by implementing a series of sustainability-focused changes in his store

A project by Suntory Beverage & Food (SBF) GB&I has shown that convenience stores in the UK can save £600 a year if they implement a series of sustainability-focused changes in their stores.

The year-long project, run in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust, made the changes at Amit Patel’s 900 sq ft store in Derbyshire. Revealing the impact of those changes, the firm said the convenience retailers in the UK could cumulatively save an astonishing £28.3 million every single year by making changes that benefit both their local community and the wider world.


At the start of 2020, the project team made a range of changes both large and small in Amit’s store, Premier Town Street in Sandiacre , designed to show that starting your sustainability journey is something every store can do, without having to spend thousands of pounds.

“The project is aimed at helping independent convenience retailers understand how they can become more sustainable. Crucially, they highlight the importance of progression, not perfection,” said Andrew Pheasant, head of regional accounts at SBF GB&I.

“We know that not every store is in a position financially to invest in replacing their chillers, but our work in Amit’s store shows that not every change has to be as large as that to make a real difference. If the UK’s 46,388 convenience stores made these sustainability-focused alterations, the total savings across the channel could be up to £28.3 million per year.”

The changes made over the course of the project include:

  • Replacing an old 800W oil-filled radiator behind the counter with a new halogen heater providing directional heat
  • Installing a new door-closing mechanism for the front door of the shop, to keep heat locked in
  • Updating an old TV used to display CCTV footage with a more modern, energy-efficient model
  • Installing new lighting throughout the store, replacing ten-year old 30W LED tube lights with more energy efficient LED panels and less of them
  • Introducing a sensor to ensure that lights in lesser-used areas like the storeroom are turned off automatically when they aren’t being used
  • Replacing two open-fronted chiller units, one more than 15 years old and one which broke down, with newer models with doors that are more efficient
  • Installing new shelving in the storeroom, allowing better stock management, increase stock capacity and reducing cash & carry journeys and deliveries
  • Implementing new processes to ensure that stock is managed effectively, waste is reduced, and any potential energy-losing faults are spotted early to maintain energy efficiency
  • Introducing new PoS materials to help advertise the changes to customers to build local loyalty.

Amit Patel said: “This project has been fantastic to work on. I’m already seeing the benefits of the changes – both in terms of my energy savings and the feedback from my shoppers, who love what I’m doing and the way the store looks now. Thinking more about how we impact the environment is incredibly important for many reasons, and I urge all retailers to look at how they can start doing just that”.

Sustainability POS Amit New PoS materials to help advertise the sustainability changes to customers at Premier Town Street in Sandiacre

Andrew Tod, insight & analytics manager at Energy Saving Trust, added: “Working with Amit on this project was a really great experience, and we’ve created a great template that all small businesses can use to improve their own sustainability credentials.

“It’s great to know that by making changes in store, the convenience retail channel could save millions of pounds. It’s also important to note that areas that retailers might not have thought about – improving the shelving in your storeroom, for example – can have a huge impact on your CO2 emissions, saving retailers time, money and reducing energy use.”

The project ties in with the Suntory vision of Growing for Good - being a company that always benefits its community as it grows. The company has an ambitious target to move to using only 100% sustainable plastic bottles by 2030, as part of a wider 2050 environmental vision, aiming to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain.

SBF GB&I is hosting an event in London at which Amit Patel will talk about the changes made in store, alongside a representative from the Energy Saving Trust. If any retailer would be interested in putting themselves on the shortlist to attend, please email at SBFtrade@hanovercomms.com.

“Not only will these changes save Amit money on his overheads, but they also make the store a more welcoming and inviting place for his local shoppers to visit. It truly is Good For Business,” Pheasant noted.

More for you

A woman enters the Selfridges department store

A woman enters the Selfridges department store on December 13, 2024 in London, England

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail faces mixed fortunes in 2025 amid cost pressures, AI opportunities, and high street revival


The UK retail sector is bracing for a challenging but opportunity-filled 2025, according to Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM UK. While the industry grapples with rising costs and heightened crime, advancements in artificial intelligence and a revival of the high street offer potential pathways to growth, she said.

Keep ReadingShow less
unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Photo: Southend-on-Sea City Council

1,100 unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend safety crackdown

Southend-on-Sea City Council officials have secured food condemnation orders from Chelmsford Magistrates Court, resulting in the seizure and destruction of 1,100 unauthorised soft drinks.

The condemned drinks, including Mountain Dew, 7-UP, Mirinda, and G Fuel energy drinks, were found during routine inspections of food businesses across Southend by the council’s environmental health officers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London

A customer browses clothes inside Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London on, December 17, 2024

Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Brits kindle Christmas spirit with second-hand gifts

Bursting with customers one afternoon the week before Christmas, a second-hand charity shop in London's Marylebone High Street looked even busier than the upscale retailers surrounding it.

One man grabbed two puzzle sets and a giant plush toy as a present for friends, another picked out a notebook for his wife.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Lancashire Mind’s 11th Mental Elf fun run was its biggest and best yet – a sell-out event with more than 400 people running and walking in aid of the mental charity, plus dozens more volunteering to make the day a huge success.

The winter sun shone on Worden Park in Leyland as families gathered for either a 5K course, a 2K run, or a Challenge Yours’Elf distance which saw many people running 10K with the usual running gear replaced with jazzy elf leggings, tinsel and Christmas hats.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale

A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale, on December 13, 2024 in London, England.

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail sales disappoint before Christmas

UK retail sales rose less than expected in the runup to Christmas, according to official data Friday that deals a fresh blow to government hopes of growing the economy.

Separate figures revealed a temporary reprieve for prime minister Keir Starmer, however, as public borrowing fell sharply in November.

Keep ReadingShow less