Chilling savings

TECHNOLOGICAL advances can be exciting and fascinating but it can also take a fair bit of work to keep on top of all a...
SWA chief executive Colin Smith wants the Scottish Government to provide support for members to achieve their net-zero emissions targets.

SWA has bold net-zero goal

The Scottish Wholesale Association has set out ambitious plans to reach net-zero emissions by 2040 – and is calling on ScotGov to provide financial help for its members.

“Be nice” customers are told ahead of ShopKind Week

The Scottish Retail Consortium has enlisted the support of MSPs to mark the start of ShopKind Week (June 30th-July 6th), asking for shoppers to...
Nevis Bakery, now baking for home and overseas markets.

Climbing worldwide – Nevis Bakery on the rise

RUNNING a food manufacturing business might sometimes feel like having a metaphorical mountain to climb. But if the team at the Nevis Bakery ever...

It’s got to be the local stuff

Provenance king for porridge Provenance is proving popular with consumers across the country, which is good news for porridge producer Hamlyns of Scotland, and the...
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

Porridge goes gluten-free

Delicious Alchemy has launched instant porridge products free from gluten and from dairy produce. Its new Quick Cook Porridge Sachets and Porridge Oat Pots, available in...

The seeds of change

National potato supplier Branston has stepped up a gear in pursuit of its net zero by 2030 goal.

Pick up a blend and a big TV

CONSUMERS who pick up a bottle of Scottish blended whisky brand High Commissioner could be in with the chance of taking home a 50-inch...
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,...

Going right at the lights

BREAKFAST cereal Weetabix has put its nutritional details on its pack fronts using the new “traffic light” system. Quoting Shopper’s Voice research, Weetabix says almost...

Out is in for 2019

Research found that sustainable packaging, gut-friendly foods and sugar-free will feature prominently in 2019
Barrs Irn Bru

Soft and Scottish

SCOTTISH shoppers love local and they’re loyal to the brands from home. That’s the view of Adrian Troy, marketing director at AG Barr.

Cooking up new uses

PORRIDGE sales in the UK continue to grow, as the oat cereal’s many health benefits make it the year-round breakfast of choice for health-conscious...

Binning the plastic

AG Barr has taken its sustainability pledge one step further by announcing all of its consumer multipacks will be packaged in 100% recycled shrink wrap by the end of this year
Irn Bru

Scots seeking Scottish

CONSUMERS want brands that reflect their Scottish heritage for Burns Night