A look at what’s going on across the Scottish convenience sector.
Four Loko is on the move
RED Star Brands has moved its Four Loko RTD business from Cheshire to the Central Belt of Scotland.
Red Star said the move aims to reduce food miles, support Scottish businesses and improve the wholesale service by reducing fulfilment times.
The move comes after the team picked up the Project Wholesale gong at the Scottish Wholesale Achievers Awards.
Clark McIlroy, managing director at Red Star, said: “Scottish consumers have remained Four Loko’s biggest fans, so it made perfect sense to move the distribution and keep freight costs down for our biggest wholesale clients.”
Going local with Asda
GROCERY chain Asda has announced it is boosting the range of Scottish produce in its stores.
Some 140 new lines will join the supermarket’s local offerings and will feature both new and existing Scottish suppliers – with a rise of more than 20% compared to the retailer’s range from last year.
Ashley Connolly, local buying manager for Scotland, said: “We help our suppliers grow their businesses in a way that works for them, whether that’s with new local products in only a few of our shops, going national with UK-wide listings or joining the many Scottish suppliers making own-label products for Asda.”
Nisa banks raise £35k
NISA’S Making a Difference Locally (MADL) clothing banks have raised more than £35,000 for local causes since their launch to retailers in 2021.
MADL clothing banks are available free of charge to Nisa retailers, in partnership with Nathan’s Waste Savers, and every donation is either sold, reused or recycled.
Warm clothing continues to be sent to Ukraine and further supplies will go to Turkey and Syria.
Nisa head of charity Kate Carroll said: “The events in Ukraine, Turkey and Syria are devastating, so I would encourage Nisa retailers and shoppers to contribute to the clothing banks.”
