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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...
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,...

McGhee’s sales go on a roll

Morning goods and bakery firm heads towards 3m a week WHEN bakery firm McGhee’s moved to its main plant in the north of Glasgow around...
meats

Appealing to the youth

QMS campaign aimed at young adults
a man and woman put a plastic bottle into a DRS machine

The time to prepare for DRS has arrived

With less than one year to go, Mark Brill, UK & Ireland VP sales and marketing for TOMRA, looks at what retailers need know about the deposit return scheme.

Cathedral on the right track

Saputo shooting for fully recyclable packs
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.

Feel better profit factor

Scotland’s c-stores are at the heart of the latest national efforts to improve the country’s diet and well being. And these days the healthy...
Paterson-Arran-185g_Biscuit_Assortment

Cause for celebration

SHORTBREAD brand Paterson’s will celebrate a major milestone this year – its 125th anniversary
Glenmorangie distillery

Plans afoot in the glen

THERE’S a lot going on at Glenmorangie at the moment as the Highland distillery gears up to build a new still house as part of a planned expansion.
fairtrade

Fair Trade nation set for festival fortnight

THIS month sees the return of Fairtrade Fortnight and retailers are being encouraged to go bananas ... and tea ... and coffee ... and...

Take on waste with new tech

Gander looking to offer shoppers bargains while reducing food waste for retailers

Nakd claims it’s dressing up the category

REFERRING to a Mintel snacking report, Nakd  says 40% of consumers are switching to healthier snacks. It also reports that with sales amounting to £31m...
wildcat-passion-campaign

New gin is a wild thing

Whyte & Mackay has expanded its gin portfolio with the launch of a zesty new variant to its Wildcat Gin range
Macsween of Edinburgh has donated tonnes of surplus haggis to FareShare.

FareShare help good for planet

The FareShare charity has been explaining how its food help for the poor also prevents waste.
Macsween

No more landfill

HAGGIS producer Macsween has changed its manufacturing process so that no waste products are sent to landfill. Earlier this year the company was recycling 90%...
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