Welcome to the May-June issue of Grocery Trader. Well done to Sainsbury’s, which has announced it is joining the Black British Network as one of many initiatives to improve the representation and experiences of its Black colleagues. The Black British Network was founded by campaigner Cephas Williams and strives to bring lasting systemic change for the Black community by working closely with UK businesses. Sainsbury’s will take part in several round-table discussions with other British businesses and Black colleagues, to evolve and understand best practice, improve inclusivity and representation, and translate learnings into tangible solutions, behaviours and processes that can be implemented across every level of the business.
Encouraging to see the latest figures from Kantar which show take-home grocery sales rose by 5.7% during the 12 weeks to 18 April. The most recent trends suggest that consumer confidence is increasing, as the successful vaccine roll out and relaxation of social restrictions have encouraged more people to visit physical stores and spend time with friends and family.
Well done to Tesco, which has become the first major retailer to scrap soft plastic rings and shrink wrap packaging from all beers and ciders in its UK stores. The ground-breaking move, made in hand with many of the leading drinks giants, will lead to 50 million fewer pieces of unrecycled plastic being produced each year. The plastic rings are reviled by environmental groups and those with a green conscience as they can contribute to our oceans being choked up and also endanger wildlife such as birds and turtles.
Tayto Group owns the UK’s top 3 pork snacks brands, Mr Porky, Midland Snacks and Real Pork Co. Mr Porky, the No1 brand with over 40% share, is being supported this year with the biggest ever advertising campaign for pork scratchings with the strapline “There’s no matching a scratching”. Matt Smith, Marketing Director for Tayto Group, tells our Supplier Spotlight page how retailers can grow the crisps and snacks category.
The vaping sector supports nearly 18,000 jobs in the retail supply chain and is contributing £805 million per annum to UK GDP, as the UK reaps the benefits of its far-sighted investment in vaping and other alternative nicotine products, according to a new research report by Oxford Economics. Alternative nicotine products – including vaping products (such as e-cigarettes), tobacco-free oral nicotine pouches and tobacco heating products – deliver nicotine without the need to burn tobacco, making them potentially less risky than traditional combustible tobacco products, says our NGP/Vaping feature.
Enjoy reading the issue.
Comments are closed.