INVER House Distillers, the company behind Old Pulteney, Balblair, Speyburn, Hankey Bannister, anCnoc and Caorunn gin, is 50 this year. The company has planned a...

Free-from expo boss says future is bright

2 June 2017

Some of the biggest names in the free-from business will gather in Barcelona this month for the Free From/Functional Food Expo 2017, but ahead...

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

2 January 2014

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

Kantar Worldpanel business unit director Mark Thomson

What do we know about Scotland?

1 August 2013

Scotland has a distinct grocery and convenience store scene. In home-produced items and other products we have our own preferences and we spend more...

Convenience home run

3 May 2016

Scotland’s brands and produce are important to Scottish retailers and consumers, as our annual top 50 Scottish brands feature illustrates. In this update we...

Home grown ready meal sales soaring

5 April 2017

Strathmore Foods has reported double-digit growth for its ready meal range, with Kantar Worldpanel figures showing 14% growth for the year to January 2017. The...

Something for the weekend

7 September 2016

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...

Call to action at COP

1 December 2021

URGENCY and action were the watchwords at Net Zero Now’s (NZN) Forget2050 COP26 fringe event, held at Drygate Brewery in Glasgow.

Growth for Kintyre distillery

6 April 2021

ALTHOUGH events of the past year have been challenging for Beinn an Tuirc Distillers, its push for growth and expansion has not faltered.

Mamma mia! Lactose free

6 January 2020

Ristorante Pizza Mozzarella is topped with lactose-free mozzarella and Edam cheese, sweet cherry tomatoes, basil and Ristorante’s signature tomato sauce

Hovis has a new bag, made from renewable polythene, that will cut its carbon footprint by three-quarters.

Hovis slashes its carbon footprint

31 July 2014

Bakery giant’s new renewable polythene bag to be flagged on-pack to emphasise its green credentials to consumers. BREAD giant Hovis is lowering its packs’...