The pioneer generation of UK Convenience is now at or beyond retirement age, but their love of independent retail, their skill as merchandisers and their importance community figures, are often manifested in their daughters and sons who have carried on in the trade. Nishi Patel, who runs the Londis Bexley Park store in Dartford, is one such retailer, who actually bought the shops from his father, Kiran, who has been in retail for over four decades.
Nishi, the winner of the Asian Trader Next Gen Award, supported by pladis, says retail is in his blood.
“My parents have always had shops, my uncles had shops. So, I've literally been around shops all my life. It's always been a part of our blood. My dad owned several shops in the 1980s and 1990s. And then he owned two shops before he sold them to me. One shop he's had for over 35 years, Bexley was around 15 years old when he sold it to me,” he says.
The shop is around 2000 square foot, located just off the main roads A2 and M25, and sits at the heart of the community.
“We have got five schools around us. We have got a couple of thousand houses in the back, estate flats and houses. We have got a gym next door, we have got two offices. We have also got a hospital for mentally disabled people, so a lot of staff, nurses, helpers, carers are coming from there,” he tells us of the area.
Despite growing up in shops, Nishi initially took a detour to the US, after graduating in structural management. He lived in Florida for about three years, on and off, working in the construction industry. But then the subprime crisis happened, in 2007, and he came back and started helping his father with the shops and got into retail in that way.
Third generation of shopkeepers, he follows his ‘old school’ father in ensuring a super clean, well lit and well stocked shop, but goes further to keep things fresh and update constantly, to make them a destinations shop.
“I have been bought up by the best mentor in retail. But it hasn't come without some challenges and disagreements,” he says. “My father is very old school when it comes to retailing which isn't such a bad thing as some things never change. The three key areas that has always told me to ensure is always right are super clean shop, well lit and well stocked.”
They took a refit of the store three years ago, with both of them bouncing ideas off each other, and Nishi say the collaboration really shows a bit of them both.
“The lighting was all down to him on what he wanted with a little of my word in his ear about energy efficiency. I feel a well lit store makes your shop look clean, fill up, tidy. So I have spent big money on my lights, getting Halo lights in, which I think visually makes a great impact. They are low emission lights, so again, for energy efficiency, they're great, especially with the energy crisis at the moment.”
He took on the food to go area and made that his babe in store.
“The main difference between us is that I want to bring new and exciting products to our shop to make us a destination shop and a place where people know we do thing differently to any other convenience store in the area.”
Nishi Patel (L) with his father Kiran
He has introduced f’real milkshakes and American sweets and drinks since he took over in October 2020, which flew off the shelves, and is currently in the process of redesigning the food to go area.
“We are going to actually change a lot in the front. We are going to add Tango Ice Blast, and we're going to add fwip to that to that area. Plus, we're going to add two new slushie machines as well,” he explains, adding that they usually update their food to go offer every three to four years to keep pace with the quickly changing category.
Food to go has been quite big for them and they have managed to increase sales over the last few years, even during the pandemic when restrictions affected food to go sales for most stores. Nishi says the refit helped much in this.
“We added different machines, different products, different new lines, we added Rollover, f'real in the last refit. We also added a new hot stand and a new coffee machine that also helped up ourselves in that area,” he says.
“So now what we want to do is try and streamline what we do in a better area. We have actually got rid of a lot of ambient cakes, and we have condensed it down now so we can get the new machines in.”
They have seen sales skyrocketing, like many of the local stores, during the pandemic. While the grocery market data shows that the convenience channel is going through declining sales year on year, albeit from a strong comparator, especially since the restrictions eased, Nishi says the opposite is the case for them.
“We actually increased our turnover after the pandemic. We have stayed up from pre-pandemic to pandemic. And from then we have actually continued to grow. Last year was our best year ever, and we may even have a better year this year than last year,” he says.
Nishi feels the pandemic helped them show customers what they can do in store.
“A lot of customers rather stick to big supermarkets. For us, I think, once they saw how we work, how we sold our products, you know, we didn't inflate our prices by any means, we tried to get premium lines in if we couldn't get cheaper lines in, during the pandemicwe had flour, we had yeast - it seemed at the time we were the only store in Kent with flour and yeast - we had people coming from the coast to come and see what we're doing in store,” he explains.
He stresses that the availability - and the lengths they have gone to keep the shelves stocked, searching high and low for essentials - has made a big difference.
“People would at that point rather come to us because they weren't having to wait outside the supermarket for two hours just to get inside to be told ‘we currently have none of them’, where they can come to us and get into store straightaway within five-ten minutes,” he says.
“We still carried on doing social distancing, and only a certain amount of customers are allowed in the store at any one point. But customers understood. And yeah, we just got a nice influx of new customers, new faces that we never would have had pre-pandemic.”
Nishi says the help from his father during the crisis has been invaluable, opening his eyes to what to do in a crisis and how best to adapt to it.
“For example we could not get egg boxes but we could get eggs from Brakes, we had no clue how we would sell them, so dad went off to Booker and found us reels of plastic bags, so we bagged the eggs and this worked out great,” he says.
He also has to tread a fine line to keep his father safe at the time.
“He's an older gentleman with some underlying health issues. So for me, it was a very fine line of ‘okay, yeah, come but just be careful, wear your mask, don't go on the shop floor too much. If you want to go to a cash and carry, no problem, again, take hand sanitizer.’ So it was hard. It's hard for him to keep away, for one, and it was hard for me not to get a bit of his wisdom and help in certain lines. It was invaluable, but a bit scary as well at the same time,” he adds.
Home delivery is another pandemic trend they seized and got a firm grip of, and Nishi says they wouldn’t have probably done it if it wasn't for the pandemic.
“We joined Uber Eats and Deliveroo and we are still in discussions whether we're going to do Snappy Shopper. It was just another avenue for us to get products to our customers. We found that invaluable,” he says.
They have, in fact, transformed the online delivery platforms as another tool for customer engagement, ensuring loyalty to the store and getting all-important feedback on their ranging.
“We told our customers ‘look, if you need something and you can't see it on it, give us a call, wait five minutes, and we'll stick it online for you.’ So that actually helped grow our database of products to sell and what products to sell online,” he says.
They have a 500-600 lines on both online platforms. “We have got quite a good virtual store on there,” Nishi quips.
They are very active on social media, with Facebook posts and TikTok videos, and combined with delivery platforms, this enables them to promote the store to a much larger customer base.
“I think its two things,” he says. “One it's been fun and it's good for the customer to engage in a different way, rather than being in-store and talking to someone. And I think it's a must, because it makes us unique, in the sense of we get to pump what we're doing in everyday life in the shop into the customers- new product bases, new lines of products that we want to try.
“And it just gives us a bit of a base to help us know what to sell, and what's changing in the ever-changing market, like vapes and stuff like that.”
With disposable vapes surging in popularity, he says it’s the category to beat at the moment, and he is all set to put a vape station in-store in the next weeks.
“We have probably made 5-6 times the amount of turnover on our vapes in the last six months, and it seems to have gone crazy! We never thought we'd hit targets that were hitting now,” he says, adding that vapes have overtaken their beer and wine sales, now standing behind tobacco and fresh fruit and veg among their best-selling categories.
Nishi adds that it’s important to be always in tune with the market. “Like I said, it's ever-changing so quickly that you have to be on top of your game to get new product releases in quickly,” he says.
Apart from trade magazines, he uses his peer group of retailers to pick up new trends and products. “We have got a really great network of retailers on our WhatsApp groups and stuff that helps,” he says. “Sometimes we have asked guys, and if we see one retailer doing it, well, we always feel that we can do it just as good or as better as them.”
As the cost of living crisis impacts shopper behaviour, Nishi feels that retailers might need to find the fine line, as there could be shoppers for products at both ends of the price spectrum.
“We looked at some recent research … during crisis, customers actually want to treat themselves a bit better, bit more. They have got so much going on in their life. They want to treat themselves and actually find some of the higher value lines, which they might not necessarily have bought before,” he explains.
He says he is not going to delist all his high end lines. “I am actually going to try and increase my high end wines, some of the nicer chocolates. Again, why I'm getting Tango, it's an impulse feel good drink. You know, it's not cheap, it's a premium drink,” he adds.
Of course, there will be people who will be trying to scrimp and save, he notes and they have just introduced Jisp vouchers to help customers save a bit of money on their everyday goods.
“So we are looking at both sides of it,” he says. “People will shop to find a better price and a bit of value product. And with that, they might look at actually buying a premium bottle of wine to make themselves feel better as well. So it's trying to find the fine line.”
And, that’s the case with the prices as well, he adds.
“Do we lose our margin and try and appease the customer, or do we put the price up and continue our margin? While we are getting food to go, can we reduce some of our prices across the store to keep us competitive, but still make our margins in other lines across the store,” he asks.
Scottish business conglomerate Glenshire Group has hired Daniel Arrandale as its new Property Director.
Starting in the newly created role last week, Arrandale brings a wealth of industry experience to the business, including his most recent position as Acquisitions Manager for Asda and his previous position as Development Manager at EG Group.
“I am thrilled to be joining Glenshire Group in a period of tremendous growth, with many exciting opportunities on the horizon,” said Arrandale. “I’m looking forward to working with the existing development team to maximise the opportunities within our current estate, whilst also growing the business further with the acquisition of new sites.”
As part of Arrandale’s remit, he will oversee acquisitions, development, and growth for Greens Retail, Pizza Hut, and wider Glenshire Group property development and investment interests.
The bulk of Arrandale’s career has been as Retail Director at commercial agents Christie & Co, focussing on the convenience, forecourt and franchise markets. Arrandale served at Christie & Co. for 23 years.
Harris Aslam, Managing Director at Glenshire Group added: “We are very excited to welcome Dan into the Glenshire family. Having worked with Dan many times over the years on several transactions, I can confidently say his breadth of knowledge and experience in this sector will give us a huge advantage as we continue to expand our portfolio.”
Currently operating 27 convenience stores and 20 Pizza Hut franchises in Scotland, Glenshire Group has committed to significantly furthering new location openings in Scotland as well as bolstering their property portfolio.
Brewer Carlsberg is shifting some of its marketing focus to cheaper brands, it said on Thursday (31), as consumers in major markets bought cheaper beer and in reduced quantities.
The maker of Kronenbourg 1664, Tuborg and Somersby said beer sales volumes fell by 1.3 per cent in the third quarter, noting declines in China, France and the United Kingdom. Premium sales fell 0.5 per cent in the quarter."In Western Europe, there's no doubt that the average consumer is holding back," CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen told Reuters.
"In Asia, China stands out as a market where the consumer is very weak. Most other Asian markets are actually okay," he said, adding the company had not yet seen Chinese stimulus measures having any impact on consumer behaviour.For years, brewers have relied on a strategy of developing and promoting their more expensive premium brands to offset an overall decline in drinking.
Aarup-Andersen said he remained confident in the long-term growth potential of premium beer and that the category will comprise a significantly larger portion of Carlsberg's business in a decade.For now, however, the company is adjusting its marketing.
"In markets where we are seeing a significant pressure on premium, we are reallocating some of our focus into making sure that we are promoting properly around the right mainstream brands," he said.
The world's third-largest brewer behind Anheuser-Busch Inbev and Heineken said third-quarter sales rose 1 per cent to 20.5 billion Danish crowns ($2.98 billion), compared with 20.7 billion expected on average by analysts in a poll gathered by the company.
Despite the shift in consumer behaviour, Carlsberg said it still expects full-year organic operating profit growth to be between 4 per cent and 6 per cent. The company lifted its full-year guidance in August.
Also on Thursday (31), the world's largest beer maker Anheuser-Busch InBev reported third-quarter profits, revenues and volumes behind forecasts. AB InBev's third-quarter statement highlighted stronger growth for its more expensive beers, like Corona, which grew 10.2% outside of its home market, Mexico, during the period.
Consumers now want a greater commitment from retailers in cutting food waste, refilling stations, sustainable packaging, and partnering with social purpose organisations, states a recent research, which also highlights that a good majority (69 per cent) of younger consumers are more likely to shop with what they see as socially responsible retailers though price sensitivity still plays a crucial role.
According to the findings, published in Vypr’s Consumer Horizon Report, reducing food waste is the most important factor for the majority of UK consumers (29 per cent), especially for Gen Z women aged 18-24 (38 per cent). More than a third (37 per cent) of men aged 18-24 said they needed food storage advice. A similar number of women aged 18-24 (33 per cent) want meal kits with the exact amount of ingredients included for them to cut down on food waste.
Refill stations for personal care, cleaning products, dry goods, and beverages are also in high demand. Consumers, particularly Gen Z women, are keen to use these stations, provided they offer a cost-saving of 6-10 per cent compared to packaged goods. The study indicates that older shoppers are less likely to use refill stations unless prices are reduced by 15 per cent or more, which Vypr said shows the importance of price in driving consumers to adopt sustainable shopping habits.
The third priority for brands and retailers is to adopt sustainable packaging. Awareness of eco-friendly packaging is high, especially among younger generations. Two-thirds of UK consumers say they expect to pay more for sustainably packaged products, and that figure rises to 86 per cent among Gen Z and Millennials. However, Vypr’s research suggests that while shoppers express willingness to pay more, price sensitivity still plays a crucial role.
Ben Davis, founder of Vypr, said: “There’s often a disconnect between consumer intentions and actions. Brands need to understand that simply offering sustainable options may not be enough if price points don’t match consumer expectations.
“For Gen Z and Millennials, sustainable products need to be competitively priced or risk losing long-term loyalty. We tested this by presenting products with and without the label ‘100 per cent Recycled Packaging’ and found price remained the key purchase decision-making factor for most consumers.”
Another factor in building loyalty among younger consumers is to showcase social responsibility. The research reveals that 60% of shoppers are more likely to shop at retailers that partner with food rescue organisations or promote a charitable cause. Among Gen Z and Millennials, this figure jumps to 69%, showing a strong preference for brands that demonstrate a social purpose.
The report also reveals that 85% of shoppers are willing to pay a deposit for reusable products, though it is younger consumers, particularly those aged 18-24 who express the strongest support for such initiatives.
The Consumer Horizon report which provides insights shaping retail, product innovation, and consumer behaviour going into 2025, can be seen here.
Sugro UK, the number one buying and marketing buying group*, in partnership with b2b.store, is thrilled to announce a further expansion of its existing E-Loyalty scheme programme, which has proven to be very popular with its members and retailers, by introducing E-Loyalty Extra Compliance and Execution scheme as well as E-Coupons.
The E-Loyalty Extra is aimed to boost compliance and execution at retail store level to drive new product launches, core range compliance, some exciting fixture trials with its supply partners and more! It will be available to all member owned and member affiliated retail stores within the group.
The E-Loyalty Extra loyalty scheme will be accessible by retailers via WhatsApp platform and will allow retailers to capture evidence of compliance by simply clicking “take photo” button.
With the addition of another digital enhancement introduced to the group recently – Coupon - based loyalty mechanic, members are now empowered to incentivise and reward customers, driving stronger consumer connections and fostering brand loyalty at a granular level. Retailers can now simply redeem a coupon at the point of check out. Another key digital development within the group is WhatsApp E-Presell which enables Sugro UK’s retail partners to provide advance product volume commitments for new product launches. This functionality is particularly powerful as it ensures that suppliers have accurate forecasts before product launches, enabling better stock availability from day one of product being available on the market.
The ease and speed of using WhatsApp for these commitments simplifies the presell process, ensures accuracy and strengthens relationships across the supply chain.
While other industry players may soon consider introducing similar digital tools, Sugro UK are proud to be at the forefront of enhancing retail-focused digital solutions. This early adoption not only ensures that Sugro UK members remain competitive but also guarantees them access to the best digital tools available in the market. These efforts are part of Sugro UK's ongoing commitment to delivering value to its members and empowering them with innovative solutions for growth and success in an increasingly digital retail environment.
Sugro Head of Commercial and Marketing, Yulia Petitt said: “I am delighted that Sugro UK members are now able to provide photographic evidence of retail compliance and in-store execution to our supplier partners, using a wide range of display and compliance criteria such as planograms, secondary displays, trials, and new product developments (NPDs).These digital features allow members to share real-time proof of execution, enhancing accountability and building supplier confidence. The launch of E-Presell functionality opens a huge digital advantage for the group which will benefit all – members, retailers and suppliers in gaining accurate forecast and ensuring product visibility in store from day one of product being on the market and with the ease of using WhatsApp, the entire pre-sell process becomes a much quicker and easier process to manage for all parties.
"The Group has had 18 consecutive years of growth and, once again, on track to deliver in 2024, with the year-to-date performance of +15% year on year and growth across all categories.” Rob Mannion, CEO of b2b.store, added: “The rate of innovation in the wholesale sector is increasing and these launches are further great examples of that. We’re particularly excited about the developments and different uses of WhatsApp in the industry, with more coming in the pipeline for 2025 – it’s a tool no wholesaler or buying group can afford to ignore because of the level of influence it’s having in the sector and there’s no sign of that direction of travel changing any time soon.”
Sugro UK is proudly owned by its 90 plus independent wholesale members, with a combined turnover of over £2.5 billion.
Expanding its footprint in the World Foods category, Paulig has acquired Panesar Foods, a prominent UK-based producer of sauces and condiments.
Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Tipton, Panesar Foods is a family-owned business with three production facilities, employing 308 staff and achieving a turnover of £59 million in the 2023 fiscal year.
This collaboration is expected to accelerate product launches and drive growth in diverse offerings, including sauces, salsas, marinades, dips, and condiments.
"We have collaborated with Panesar Foods for 17 years, and we are very pleased to welcome the company to Paulig," said Rolf Ladau, CEO of Paulig. "Today, our combined taste expertise and innovation skills unite around a shared ambition: to accelerate our international growth and expand our World Foods offerings."
Bill Panesar, CEO of Panesar Foods, expressed confidence in the partnership, stating, “As Panesar Foods becomes part of Paulig, I am confident that our ambitions for international growth will be realised, and the business will continue to thrive. We share a strong commitment to innovation and delivering high-quality, flavourful products, and I look forward to bringing even more delicious products to the market, together."
Jas Panesar, MD of Panesar Foods, echoed, “This partnership will allow us to reach new markets and deliver our authentic World Food flavors to a broader audience. We look forward to combining our passion for quality food with Paulig’s commitment to sustainability and innovation.”
All 308 Panesar employees will transition to Paulig’s team. Financial details of the transaction remain undisclosed.