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Colette Backwell

Industry vital to food safety

Whatever happens in September’s independence referendum Scotland will have a new body tasked with ensuring the safety of the country’s food. THE Food (Scotland)...

Asif Ashraf, Smartways and MHouse Solutions

Asif Ashraf founded the symbol store chain Smartways in 2013. It has since grown to include 11 stores. He also owns and runs EPoS...
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Doing a fair trade

Winner: Spar, Logans Road, Motherwell Collectables Retailer of the Year Award 2014 – in association with Topps. Interview with Kashain Arshad, manager, above left, and Asif...
May 31 was the World Health Organisation’s 2013 No Tobacco Day. One of the world’s biggest tobacco companies wonders if anti-smoking lobbyists have properly thought through the issues

Be careful what you wish for

May 31 was the World Health Organisation’s 2013 No Tobacco Day. One of the world’s biggest tobacco companies wonders if anti-smoking lobbyists have properly...
Uig Community Shop

Retailing in the Isles

Following the publication of the ACS Rural Shop report, Scottish Grocer spoke to retailers in the Outer Hebrides to ask them what they consider...
Ross Macpherson and Mandi Duncan

Awards profile: Health Promoting Retailer of the Year

Doonfoot Day-Today has an incredibly active social media presence with a huge reach. One post from the store has even gone viral and received five and a half million views.

At home in the heart of the city – Oaka Supercity

Update: Oaka Supercity was awarded the Innovation Award at the Scottish Grocer Awards 2019. Click here to view their profile video » With a name...

Minimum hits £6.70

Government agrees 3% increase in NMW from October THE UK’s minimum wage will rise by 3% to £6.70 an hour, for the full adult rate,...
Damian Guha, Mars Petcare UK,

New chief moves in at Mars Petcare

DAMIAN Guha has returned to Mars as managing director for Mars Petcare UK. He had a three-year break at Marks & Spencer, where...
Edinburgh South MSP Daniel Johnson

SG interview: Daniel Johnson MSP ‘Time to act on retail crime’

Assaults “unacceptable” says MSP.
Is sugar next in line to be given public-enemy stauts by health activists and lobbyists? The white stuff has featured in a number of statements from a variety of organisations in recent weeks. But director of the Scottish Food and Drink Federation Colette Backwell reckons the media heat and light is unhelpful while food producers and others await the release in the summer of in-depth scientific analysis of the effects on diet of sugar and other carbohydrates.

Wait for the facts on sugar

THE launch of the new health non-governmental organisation Action on Sugar in January sparked a media furore around sugars which continues to dominate headlines...
Pricecracker Dundee

Rolling with regulations

Awards profile - Tobacco Retailer of the Year Award. Interview with Akhtar Muhammed.

SG Profile: Broadway Premier

In the face of declining footfall, the award-winning Broadway Premier convenience store in Oxgangs has undergone a tactical mini-makeover.
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The chill to succeed

INVERURIE isn’t exactly short of places to buy lunch. The affluent Aberdeenshire community has a thriving town centre blessed with a remarkable number of independent...
Eddie Lynagh

Eddie sets out to ‘grasp the thistle’

Eddie Lynagh became president of Scottish Wholesale for the second time in June. Last month he spoke to Scottish Grocer about returning to the...
Uzair Ali

New directions

We ask some of Scotland’s young c-store retailers about their businesses and the key issues of the day. Since taking on his father-in-law’s store last...