Premium mixers brand, The London Essence Co. said it has responded to the wave of new shopping patterns by offering products directly to their customers online for the first time.
The range includes a The Taster Collection, The Tonic Collection, The Can Collection and several ‘Exquisite Bundles’ with spirits partners for consumers to purchase via their website.
To do this, the company enlisted the support of packaging giant DS Smith to facilitate e-commerce success in the most sustainable way possible from branded staple bulk boxes to luxury gifting boxes.
As part of the range, DS Smith, The London Essence Co. and Sapling Spirits have created a “Thank your hero” box, a tailored and personalised premium packaging solution.
This bundle holds The London Essence Co. premium cans, a 75cl bottle of Sapling Spirits Vodka, a recipe card and a personalised card, enables customers to gift to loved ones during the pandemic or other special occasions.
For added convenience, The London Essence Co. is also reaping the benefits from DS Smith off-the-shelf products, easily available through the ePack webshop (www.dssmithepack.co.uk).
Through the webshop, customers also have the added advantage of being able to trial a product in lower quantities to ensure that it can best suit their needs.
Rob Carle, UK head of e-commerce Sales at DS Smith, said: “Consumers will always want access to a broad array of purchase point choice, and we are thrilled that The London Essence Company has partnered with us on their journey to develop the packaging for its e-commerce range.
By being forward-thinking, together we have rapidly produced a bespoke solution that allows them to continue to evolve their business as shopping behaviour moves online.”
Laura Hamilton, marketing manager at The London Essence Co. commented “At the London Essence Company we’re proud of what we do and what we deliver, and we’re excited to be able to offer an e-commerce range to meet the changing demands of consumers.
“Through DS Smith’s quick and scalable support, we’ve been able to go-to-market quickly with an innovative and sustainable range that we’re confident has left a good impression with our customers and can future-proof our business.”
Police are hunting for knifemen who struck at two convenience stores in the space of eight hours in Uttoxeter in East Staffordshire on Sunday (22).
According to the local reports, the first robbery took place at Tesco Express in Holly Road, Uttoxeter, at 10.40pm. A man entered the store and started threatening workers with a knife while demanding cash. The suspect then fled the scene after stealing several items.
A second raid then took place at the nearby Nisa store on Ashbourne Road in the town during early hours of Monday (23).
A knifeman again threatened staff with a knife after approaching them at the till. He fled emptyhanded from this store.
A force spokesman said: "We have launched an investigation after a robbery and an attempted robbery in Uttoxeter. Just after 10.40pm yesterday, a man demanded money from members of staff inside the Tesco Express on Holly Road.
"The suspect was carrying a kitchen knife. After taking items he left the store. Then today, at around 6.30am we received a report of an attempted robbery at a Nisa store on Ashbourne Road.
"A man went into the shop and approached the till. When challenged by two staff members he threatened them with a knife and left. No-one was injured in either incident. Officers have carried out a number of enquiries as part of our investigation into the incidents.
"We’re keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time, or those with information that can help with our investigation."
Meanwhile, Staffordshire Police's increased activities to target shoplifters this month is reflecting some positive results.
Staffordshire Police stated on Monday (23) that the targeted action saw both special constables and PCs take the lead on identifying and detaining individuals on suspicion of shoplifting offences throughout the district.
In total, goods worth £867.10 have been recovered and returned to affected stores.
Some of the positive results the team achieved include:
Recovering a total of £287.87-worth of items from a man and a woman found shoplifting from a B&M store
Detaining a man, with the help of security, and recovering £120.38-worth of stolen items found under his clothing
Arresting a man for theft from One Stop in Chasetown with property recovered
Arresting another man over the theft of £143-worth of alcohol
Issuing two banning orders and recovering £110-worth of property from two different detained men
Issuing three banning orders to three different women and recovering £208-worth of stolen items.
Officers are also continuing to carry out targeted patrols in areas where more than £500-worth of cleaning equipment was stolen from stores Chasetown, while we also responded to a small number of calls relating to anti-social behaviour and property alarms going off.
Temporary Chief Inspector Paul Finlayson, Commander of Lichfield local policing team, said: “I am pleased this plain-clothes operation has been such a success, especially in the lead up to Christmas.
“We are particularly grateful to our community partners including stores’ security staff, business owners and leaders, retail premises and the local authority, who have all supported this action.
“We will continue to run these types of operations across the district to target retail crime throughout 2025.”
Retailers across Britain have warned of potential price increases and store closures following a bleak Christmas trading period, as consumers grapple with relentless cost-of-living pressures.
Fresh data from Rendle Intelligence and Insights paints a challenging picture for UK retail in the lead-up to Christmas. Footfall in the final full week of trading was down by a significant 11.4 per cent compared to the same period last year.
“Super Saturday,” traditionally the year's busiest shopping day, offered little relief.
Footfall on the day was only 4.1 per cent higher than the previous Saturday and a mere 0.9 per cent higher than the equivalent day in 2023.
These lukewarm figures follow a Black Friday that saw a modest 5.5 per cent uplift in footfall year-on-year, as shoppers appeared to prioritise discounted deals over last-minute festive spending.
Diane Wehrle, CEO of Rendle, highlighted the stark reality, “The disappointing results, coinciding with news that the UK economy showed no growth between July and September, underscore the severe cost pressures faced by households amid prolonged high inflation.
“It appears this Christmas has been disastrous for retail, and a bad omen for 2025.”
Official data also showed that retail sales in the UK fell short of expectations in November despite shops starting to cut prices early as part of Black Friday discounting.
Sales volumes rose by a weaker-than-expected 0.2 per cent month-on-month in November, having fallen by 0.7 per cent in October, new data from the Office for National Statistics shows.
Early retail sales data for December showed little sign of improvement.
Meanwhile, retailers body British Retail Consortium (BRC) has also warned of “spending squeeze” in January 2025.
BRC-Opinium figures released on Monday (23) suggest that public confidence in the state of the economy nosedived in December, falling eight points to minus 27.
The public’s spending intentions, both in retail and beyond, dropped six points, with expectations of spending in nearly every retail category falling.
Helen Dickinson, the BRC’s chief executive, stated, "The weak spending intentions could pave the way for a challenging year for retailers, who face being buffeted by low consumer demand and £7 billion of new costs from the budget set to hit the industry in 2025.
“With sales growth unable to keep pace, retailers will have no choice but to raise prices or cut costs, closing stores and freezing recruitment.”
November’s sharp rise in inflation is expected to dampen festive spirits and restrict spending despite household’s being better off compared with last year, warned a recent report.
November marked a second consecutive month of faster price rises according to the latest figures from Asda’s Income Tracker published on Monday (23), with families across the UK continuing to face rising inflationary pressures.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) accelerated to 2.6 per cent in November – up from 1.7 per cent in September and 2.3 per cent in October – driven by the transport sector and higher clothing and footwear prices.
CEBR, who produce the Income Tracker on behalf of Asda, has forecast that inflation is set to remain above the 2.0 per cent target in the coming months, with energy prices and wage growth responsible for driving further higher essential costs.
Despite inflationary pressures, household spending power continues to improve year-on-year. Average household disposable incomes grew by 10.5 per cent in November, marking six consecutive months of double-digit increases.
The average UK household was £23.74 per week better off in November compared to a year earlier and had £249 per week to spend after paying bills and essentials, providing some relief for families as they get ready for the big day.
Reacting to this month’s Income Tracker, Sam Miley, Managing Economist and Forecasting Lead at CEBR, said, “The Income Tracker saw a slowdown in growth in November, driven by accelerating inflation.
"That said, spending power has continued to increase, with the Tracker having exhibited double-digit growth for sixth consecutive months.
“Spending power amongst households has seen a gradual improvement throughout the year, which is welcomed ahead of the festive period.
"Nevertheless, consumer expenditure over Christmas is still expected to be held back relative to pre-pandemic levels amidst elevated inflation and the lingering effects of the cost-of-living crisis.”
A shop owner found with £5,620 worth of illegal tobacco products on his premises has received a suspended prison sentence and has been left more than £1,000 out of pocket.
As stated by Durham County Council on Monday (23), officers from community protection special investigations team executed a warrant of entry at Flavour Vapes in Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, after the business failed two test purchases operations.
Magistrates in Newton Aycliffe heard that during the first test purchase operation, an employee of the shop was seen showing customers a range of five electronic cigarettes.
The undercover officer observed that the vessel size of the vapes contravened the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 and issued a warning.
The following month, a follow-up test purchase was conducted, and illegal cigarettes were purchased, leading to the warrant being executed.
Hardy Hassan, owner of Flavour Vapes, which has ceased trading, pleaded guilty to presenting for sale nicotine containing liquid within a disposable electronic cigarette in a volume exceeding 2ml, selling or distributing cigarettes and tobacco products bearing a sign identical to, or likely to be mistaken for, a registered trademark, supplying tobacco products which contravened packaging colour requirements and supplying tobacco products which contravened health warning requirements.
Hassan apologised and told the court he did not know the products were counterfeit. He was sentenced to a total of six months in custody, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay costs of £1,010.10 and a £154 victim surcharge.
Gary Carr, our strategic regulation manager, said: "The sale of illegal tobacco is a serious crime that causes significant harm to our communities. Not only does it have an adverse impact on the sales of law-abiding retailers, but it can attract other forms of criminality into local neighbourhoods.
"It also makes it easier for children to smoke due to the lower prices charged, and it robs the public purse of tax revenues that support vital services.
"Mr Hassan has left court with a prison sentence hanging over him. If he is caught trading in counterfeit goods again within the next 12 months, he will go to jail, and I hope this serves as a warning to others who flout the flaw."
Retailers could find themselves facing a New Year spending squeeze as public confidence in the state of the economy took a nosedive, show recent industry data.
According to BRC-Opinium data released today (23), consumer expectations over the next three months of their personal financial situation remained at -3 in December, the same as in November.
Confidence in state of the economy worsened to -27 in December, down from -19 in November. Confidence on personal spending on retail also fell while confidence in personal spending overall dropped to +11 in December, down from +17 in November.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said,“Public confidence in the state of the economy took a nosedive, falling 8pts to -27.
"This created a widening gap between expectations of the economy and of people’s own finances, which remained unchanged. Perceptions were heavily skewed by age, with 18 to 35 year olds considerably more upbeat than older generations on both questions.
"The public’s spending intentions – both in retail and beyond – dropped 6pts, with expectations of spending in nearly every retail category falling. If these expectations are realised, retailers could find themselves facing a New Year spending squeeze just as they unveil their January sales.
“The weak spending intentions could pave the way for a challenging year for retailers, who face being buffeted by low consumer demand and £7bn of new costs from the Budget set to hit the industry in 2025."
Dickinson added that with sales growth unable to keep pace, retailers will have no choice but to raise prices or cut costs – closing stores and freezing recruitment.
"To mitigate the impact this will have on growth, Government must ensure that its proposed business rates reform does not result in any shops paying higher rates than they already do," she said.