Grocer Aid Covid-19 Fund

Don’t suffer in silence

THE ACS has been reminding retailers that they can seek mental health support from industry charity GroceryAid

Meal kits roaring onto shelf

East Asian food brand Tiger Tiger has launched a range of free-from noodle kits

Sweet news for everyone

CREATING gummy sweets that can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of religious and dietary restrictions, was the aim when Melissa Burton founded Goody Good...
Unilever is trialling paper packaging for its Pot Noodle Chicken & Mushroom offering.

Pot Noodle on sustainability mission

Unilever is trialling paper packaging for the most popular flavour of its Pot Noodle brand in a bid to cut its use of plastics and so be more eco-friendly.

Adding value to luxury

FAMILY firm Mackie’s says it has created a niche market of affordable luxury through a combination of quality and pricing. Marketing director Karin Hayhow said:...

Provenance pushes profits

Hamlyns thinks retailers should do more to promote Scottish produce .

Big retailer signs up with Tomra

REVERSE vending machine manufacturer Tomra has signed a deal with a “major retailer”, the firm has announced.
Gander App scans a reduced pineapple

Cutting waste with Gander app can save cash

Food waste reduction app Gander is on the path for growth this year as the firm gets ready to roll out across Snappy Shopper delivery.
Smoked sausages are a core part of the Polish diet and Smithfield Foods has brought one of the most popular brands, Morliny, to the UK.

Euro growth

POLISH shoppers looking for a taste of home and British shoppers looking for new flavours helped grow the world foods category in the UK...
Nae Danger sports drink

Nae kiddin’ – Energy drink performance picking up

IT may have started out as a bit of a laugh (Ross Gourlay, MD of distribution firm Glencrest thought it would be a good...
Guylian seashells

Sustainable future for seashells

Chocolate seashell brand Guylian has undergone a relaunch, comprising a sustainability-focused packaging overhaul and a new recipe.
SEPA chief executive Terry A’Hearn and C&C Group engineer manager Martin Doogan

Spending big on a brighter future

The brewing giant behind Scotland’s most popular lager plans to invest an eight figure sum on projects that will improve sustainability in the years ahead
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.
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,...
Aerial shot of the Ochil Hills in Perthshire.

Highland Spring focuses on nature with Woodland Trust partnership

Scottish bottled water brand Highland Spring has partnered up with the Woodland Trust to expand its nature-driven restoration work in Ochil Hills, Perthshire.
Weetabix On the Go

A drink to your health

Weetabix Food Company has expanded its Weetabix On The Go range with the launch of Weetabix On The Go Plus Immune Support.