The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has launched a new campaign calling on retailers to write to their MPs calling for urgent reform of the business rates system in the upcoming Autumn Budget. The trade body is pressing the government to ease cost pressures by setting new Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) multipliers 20p lower than the standard and small business rates. It…

Industry authorities share with Lucy Britner their thoughts on what the big issues are likely to be for the year ahead MINDFUL DRINKING – LAURA WILLOUGHBY, FOUNDER, CLUB SODA We have got to a tipping point. Consumers know that alcohol-free tastes good and now expect to see options when they go for their weekly shop, as well as in specialist…

Established in 2021 in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, The Filling Station is a craft beer retailer that combines the freshness of draught with the convenience of a take-home format, all while working to support local breweries.  After being crowned Independent Beer & Cider Retailer of the Year at the Drinks Retailing Awards 2023, shop founder Matt Kelly tells Rachel Badham what the retailer has…

Pernod Ricard has lined up a limited-edition pack and marketing campaign for its Havana club rum brand, as it looks to boost sales through convenience and grocery. The bottle, designed in collaboration with lifestyle brand Places+Faces, will feature Havana Club playing cards that illustrate key serves. The activation also includes merchandise in the Places+Faces style, including t-shirts and a hoody – 50% of the sales…

Received wisdom says that branded spirits won’t sell in significant volumes in convenience stores. They do, of course, but to sell them successfully requires understanding how. Theoretically, establishing an attractive, well-stocked fixture incorporating well-known spirit brands should get sales rolling. Except the real world isn’t like that. Apart from anything else, space is limited. However, there are some basics that do get…

Tom Harvey, co-founder of YesMore marketing agency, says it’s time for drinks producers and retailers to give careful consideration to sacrificing easy wins in favour of genuine steps to secure the future of the planet Since the dawn of humanity, the desire for convenience has driven advances that shape the way we live and work. From the very earliest tools to recent developments in…

Convenience chain One Stop has called on the retail sector to address gender inequality and disproportionate store ownership levels between men and women in the industry. One Stop found that while 75% of the total convenience workforce in the UK are women, only a third of this group are store owners.  To help combat this disparity, John Miller, head of One Stop…