Salmon

Caledonia in convenience

Most nations like to boast about the quality of their produce, but there are few that can compete with Scotland when it comes to quality.
Perkier Tiffin

Perky option for breakfast on the move

PERKIER, the free-from brand created by coeliac Ann Perkins, has added breakfast-on-the go options and snacking treats to its product roster. Perkins estimates that some...
Tesco van

Sunshine on fleet for Tesco HGVs

TESCO has launch a solar-powered trailer initiative that is expected to save 2,000 litres of diesel per year.
People handing out popcorn

Popping up on shelves

A healthier snacking option
Lees of Scotland chief executive Clive Miquel

It’s a big year for Lees of Scotland

Confectionery firm marking major milestone
New times for whisky

New times for whisky – Product analysis

IT might be seen as ironic that the most successful Scottish food and drink sector, whisky, isn’t the overwhelming spirit of choice in its...
Flora Original 500g tub

Dairy-free diets here to stay according to Flora brand owner Upfield

It’s more than a flash in the pan
hello-friday-session-pale-ale

WooHa overhaul

Scottish craft brewery WooHa has rolled out a full range revamp as part of a £1.5 million investment plan for the brand

Saying cheese

SCOTTISH brand McLelland returned with revamped versions of two of its red cheddar cheeses, Mature and Extra Mature, last month. But for now at...

Healthy demand for quinoa

NEW cuisines to look out for are Hawaiian, Scandinavian and plant-based, according to Merchant Gourmet. It also said that, with sales of quinoa growing in...

A taste for adventure

ONCE an exotic treat, Chinese and Indian meals are pretty much a staple part of the average UK family’s home menus these days, but...
Brewdog beer cans with plants growing out of them

BrewDog barks up the right tree

Scottish craft beer brewer BrewDog plans to maintain a strong eco-friendly focus with aims to achieve net-zero production emissions by 2023.
Malbec

Birthday discount as Co-op marks wine’s 10th

THE Co-operative Food reckons it was the first major retailer to launch own-brand Fairtrade wine in the UK. The Co-operative now offers 21 Fairtrade wines,...
highland-scenery-with-stag

Spending big to fight coronavirus

Venison supplier Highland Game has announced a £150,000 investment package aimed at making its Dundee base coronavirus safe

Time to get healthy

Many shoppers don’t see c-stores as credible source of fresh products. FOLLOWING years of concern over obesity the consumer trend towards healthy eating has “exploded”...
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,...
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