THE Scottish Grocers’ Federation welcomed Scottish Government cabinet secretary Mairi Gougeon to Scotmid Broxburn last month, to celebrate the progress of the SGF Go Local Programme.
Originally launched as a pilot scheme on 1 December 2020, SGF Go Local offers support to c-store retailers looking to expand the number of local products on sale in their store.
Now in its second phase, the programme provides retailers with grants on a 50% match-funding basis, capped at £10,000 in exchange for dedicating long-term display space for locally sourced Scottish products.
Results have been strong so far according to the SGF, with the trial phase of the scheme generating a 34% increase in the number of local products stocked – and a 40% rise in sales of local products at the participating stores.
Pete Cheema, chief executive of the SGF, said: “The SGF Go Local programme has been an outstanding success to date and we are delighted that in recognition of this that the cabinet secretary has come to visit Scotmid’s Broxburn store to see an excellent example of the type of benefits the programme can bring to the local community through collaborative working.
