Spreading freedom into new markets

Flora Freedom is a new dairy-free variant for the brand, designed to offer consumers a dairy-free spread at the same price point as its...
Michael Ballantyne UWA Tequila

Intoxicating new spirits

Scotland's first tequila company has unveiled a new range and a UK distribution deal, as it targets a wider audience.
Scotty Brand neeps and tatties, an easy -to-prepare Burns Supper accompaniment.

Sales rising off the pie chart

NEW Year, celebrated just a few days ago, is marked in many houses by a family dinner where steak pie is the star of...
Hamlyns products now come in eco-friendly paper bags – meeting consumer sustainability desires.

Hamlyns lays out its green credentials

Responding to the rising demand for more sustainability support with consumers, Hamlyns of Scotland has introduced new paper packaging.

Tomra aims to make the most of extra time

Reverse vending machine firm Tomra aims to make the most of the extension to the DRS deadline by encouraging retailers to prepare well in advance.
Healthy Living Programme director Kathryn Neil at the Welby Loyalty Card launch.

Big push for healthy living

The Healthy Living Programme is rolling out a raft of new resources for retailers this autumn.
THE institution of the Burns Supper, now an annual celebration of the works of Scotland’s – and one of the world’s – great poets, Robert Burns, began in the very early 19th century. In 1801 some chums who were great admirers of the recently departed Rabbie, and who were also pretty fond of a dram, met on the fifth anniversary of the great writer’s death to wine, dine, toast his memory and recite some of his works. The following year the celebration moved to the date of the bard’s birthday 25 January and the rest as they say is history. The Burns Supper habit spread across Scotland. Within a few years a Burns Supper was being held in Oxford University. Today they are held all over the world. These days formal suppers can be quite posh with a multi-course dinner, a piper, a toast to the immortal memory of our great literary hero, a cheeky toast to the lassies, an even cheekier reply from the lassies, an address to the haggis and a recitation of Burns’ great narrative poem Tam o’Shanter. Other celebrations in homes and elsewhere are often much simpler. But virtually all will include two items that retailers can highlight in Burns season each year ... haggis and whisky. It’s sad that, because of marketing restrictions on alcohol products in Scottish off-trade outlets, it’s effectively impossible to cross-promote the two Burns Supper essentials or even to place them together in a display. But that’s all the more reason to promote them individually. Try highlighting haggis in your meat chiller, carry a few different sizes to suit the variety of sizes of households, use point-of-sale material to remind shoppers of Burns Night and the part that haggis plays in the celebrations. And you could make January a special malts month or simply arrange to focus on whisky generally in your drinks area. If you have a whisky deal that’s giving you a good margin highlight it within your drinks section. And creating a Burns theme in store, with tartan and maybe even pictures of the man himself, will help get the message across.

Power of the Bard

THE institution of the Burns Supper, now an annual celebration of the works of Scotland’s – and one of the world’s – great poets,...

Hydration with fruit mixed in

JUICE brand Sunmagic has launched a new range of sparkling juice drinks for children. The Hydra Fizz range contains 50% fruit juice and is made...
Brand owners haven’t been slow to embrace all things free from in recent years.

Time to ‘free’ up shelf space

Producers confident of growth
outside of a spar shop building

Partnership is too good

Spar Scotland wholesaler CJ Lang has rolled out Too Good to Go across its entire company-owned estate.

Something for the weekend

BIG NIGHTS IN don’t just feature quick snacks. Special nights in and dinner parties have risen dramatically. Research carried out by YouGov found that...

Health drive shifts gear

SGF programme eyes more categories

Provenance in the bottle

Water brand pushes Perthshire roots .

Pies prize guys

THE on-field fare at Kilmarnock Football Club might not have been what fans’ dreams are made of last season, but their half time snack...

A taste of the Caribbean

CARIBBEAN foods are showing 15% year-on-year growth, fuelled in part by the increase in the number of people visiting the area, says specialist firm...
RR Spink and Sons

Trout gets its freedom

ARBROATH fish company, RR Spink and Sons, has launched what it claims is the first Freedom Food-standard smoked trout. The brand has also scooped...
123...35Page 1 of 35