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AT 933

3-16 November

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The Voice of Independent Retailers

Lord Bilimoria

King Cobra

Data Rules

Tom Fender

Diwali

Lighting the way

Big Interview

Parfetts’ Guy Swindell

3rd November to 16th November 2023

Volume 35 No. 933

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Asian Trader Reades!

Hay Diwali

Business rate in

England to ‘quadruple’

Asian Trader Awards 2023

Pasta, Rice and

Noddles

Pasta, Rice and

Noddles

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5 NEWS

Leader: Lighting up the darkness

Business rate in England to ‘quadruple’

Retail union questions recent changes to

sentencing policy

Guest column: Consumer Behaviour

The Met trials facial recognition to tackle

shoplifting

SGF report underlines essential role of c-stores

Nestlé to close Ireland facilities – 542 job losses

Amazon expands drone delivery to UK

Aldi to open 12 new stores before Christmas

17 FEATURE: DIWALI

A little thought, some creativity and a

wholesome festive range can boost sales

this Diwali, as the festival of lights continues to

increase in popularity

26 NEWS FEATURE:

DELIVERY OPPORTUNITY

The collapse of online delivery apps can be a

boon for local store ops

30 WORLD OF WHOLESALE

A regular round-up of news and views in the

wholesale sector

33 BIG INTERVIEW:

PARFETTS

Joint MD Guy Swindell says that the nuts and

bolts of wholesale are always interesting, and

never more so than now, against the backdrop

of economic crisis and international conflict

41 ASIAN TRADER

AWARDS 2023

The Asian Trader Awards approach – we look at

what is on the menu of events for the big night

and hear from our sponsors

48 ME AND MY BRAND:

COBRA BEER

Lord Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beer, talks

about the brew – now also in a zero alcohol

version – that goes perfectly with Indian cuisine

50 “NOT” TWITTER

The best observations and comments from

retailers (and friends) on the ground

51 VAPE BUSINESS SECTION

59 MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Keeping up with the latest industry moves and

promotions

61 BIG INTERVIEW:

PHILIP MORRIS LTD

A Diwali get-together with MD Christian

Woolfenden and External Affairs Director

Duncan Cunningham, to talk about heated

tobacco and their latest IQOS device, ILUMA

67 PROFILE: JASON WOUHRA

Ready to roar: armed with brand new vision and

renewed energy, Lioncroft Wholesale’s Jason

Wouhra is going strong

68 SPECIAL REPORT:

PROJECT PEGASUS

Government and police have (potentially)

answered retailers’ pleas with the new Retail

Crime Action Plan, Project Pegasus, published

last week

71 BIG INTERVIEW:

TOM FENDER

Both grocery wholesale and convenience retail

are on the right track and tech can give them a

further leap, says TWC’s data wizard, Tom Fender

77 FEATURE: PASTA, RICE

AND NOODLES

These delicious staples can save money on

cooking and energise your body, so make the

most of it as they enjoy a surge in popularity as

consumers watch their budgets

87 MUST STOCK

The latest product news

93 FEATURE: WHOLESALE

With similar concerns and solutions, and an

unbreakable bond, wholesale and retail are

two sides of the same coin

105 GUJARATI

Free From & Healthy Alternatives and Artisan,

Craft and Local

3rd November to 16th November 2023

THE VOICE OF INDEPENDENT RETAILERS

VOLUME 35 NUMBER 933

Thank you to all our Franchisees

for all your hard work, we

would like to wish you all a

Happy Diwali from everyone

at One Stop

Happy

Diwali

from One Stop

Franchise

3 NOVEMBER 2023 ASIAN TRADER 5

www.asiantrader.biz

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Newly published retail sales

data has added to economic

gloom and offered no respite

for the government, which has

suffered fresh vote setbacks.

Retail sales slid 0.9% in

September, the Office for

National Statistics said in a

statement.

“Retail sales fell notably in

September, with retailers

telling us that cost-of-living

pressures are influencing

consumers, particularly for

non-essential goods,” added

ONS chief economist Grant

Fitzner.

“It was a poor month for

clothing stores as the warm

autumnal conditions reduced

sales of colder weather gear,”

he added.

The often-volatile retail

sales had grown 0.4% in August.

Looking at the quarterly

picture, sales volumes fell by

0.8% in the three months to

September 2023 when

compared with the previous

three months.

Foodstore sales volumes

rose 0.2% in September,

following a rise of 1.4% in

August. However, volumes fell

by 1.3% in the three months to

September from the previous

three, and, when compared

with their pre-pandemic

February 2020 levels, they

were down 3.7%.

Retail sales slide as

cost-of-living bites – ONS

Lighting up the darkness

iwali is here again, that most important

Indian holiday, which increasingly feels so

natural and welcome a part of the UK’s festive

calendar. Like Bonfire Night, it arrives at exactly the

right time to spread light and comfort – not in the

depths of winter, when we have adjusted to cold and

darkness, but rather at its onset, when we are still

apprehensive and need reassurance that the light and

warmth of a new spring and summer will return.

It’s redolent of what the economic outlook appears

to be at the moment: an oncoming darkness, but with

a flame of hope flickering in it and guiding us through

the gloomy times and hopefully out the other side.

First, the darkness. Although recent economic data

has inflation slowing (but persisting) and some

grocery prices easing an even in certain cases falling,

at the same time we are informed that consumer

confidence is waning, and that the population is

planning to spend much less on Christmas this year,

for example.

There is no contradiction here, because budgets are

squeezed, and despite good news on prices, the pound

has fallen 8% against the dollar in just over a month

– a dramatic move suggesting a lack of confidence in

UK fundamentals and higher prices again on the way.

Add to that the fact that very many fixed-term mort-

gages – hurriedly contracted a few years ago out when

interest rates were still low – are now coming to an

end and need to be refinanced at twice or three times

the earlier rate at least. This will push up repayments

for many thousands of families by anything from 40%

to 100%. Many people might not then be able to afford

to buy anything else except essentials for a long time.

Forget Christmas, forget eating out, forget a new

car – the economy will reflect the increased budget-

ary tightness experienced by households as their

funds are diverted into keeping a roof over their heads

– and housing, currently accounting for more than

20% of inflationary pressure in the UK, will soon be

accounting for much more.

On the other hand, while the times of low interest

rates and easy credit have probably gone for many

years, it is easy to forget that unemployment remains

at historic lows and that standards of living remain

the highest in history for the masses. UK economic

performance has recently been shown to be among

the best in Europe and nowhere near the basket-case

level that many reports would have us believe. There

is much debt, but Britain is increasingly a safe haven

for global monetary flows and national borrowing at

decent rates is easier here than almost anywhere else.

For the convenience channel, the combination of

being at the centre of hard-pressed communities and

seen as a support by local people, together with the

fact that food and drink are the essentials that people

will continue to buy, makes the sector a real flame of

comfort and light in the surrounding gloom, for both

shoppers and indie retailers thinking about the

future.

NEWS/COMMENT

High street shops in England

could see their business rates

bill quadrupling, collective-

ly increasing by up to £1.95

billion next year, following

new inflation data, claim mul-

tiple reports, with industry

chiefs warning it will “un-

doubtedly be the final nail in

the coffin for many” firms.

The ONS revealed

inflation in September was 6.7%.

The multiplier, which is applied

to the rateable value of proper-

ties, typically rises each April in

line with the previous Septem-

ber’s inflation rate.

Estimates compiled by

advisory group Altus showed that

retail stores will be struck by a

£15,300 business rates bill for an

average site from next April. This

is compared to £3,600 for the

current year, subject to caps on

tax reliefs.

“The current business rates re-

gime is already crippling retailers,

so the prospect of a £1.95bn jump

in rates next April will be

impossible for some retailers to

find,” said Jacqui Baker, head of re-

tail at RSM consultants. “The

Chancellor needs to extend the

current relief measures for

another year whilst delivering

real reform that is fit for purpose

to allow the high street to not

only survive, but to thrive.”

Helen Dickinson, head of the

British Retail Consortium, said

the rise would “inevitably put

renewed pressure on consumer

prices” and called on the govern-

ment to take steps to ease the

expected increase.

“As a result, retailers are

publicly calling on the Chancellor

to freeze the business rates

multiplier, allowing them to keep

driving down prices, and invest in

new shops and jobs.”

New calls from retailers to end multiplier madness

Business rate in

England to ‘quadruple’

NEWS

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6 ASIAN TRADER 3 NOVEMBER 2023

COLUMN/NEWS

Retail trade union Usdaw has

raised questions on the recent

announcement on sentencing

policy by the Justice Secretary,

asking if the move will add to

the impression that theft from

shops has effectively been de-

criminalised.

The government an-

nounced that fewer “low-lev-

el offenders” will be sent to

prison. They will legislate for a

presumption that custodial

sentences of less than 12

months in prison will be

suspended and offenders will

be punished in the communi-

ty instead.

Reacting to the announce-

ment, Paddy Lillis – Usdaw

General Secretary – pointed

out that there is an epidemic

of shoplifting sweeping

through retail.

“While we accept that

jailtime isn’t always the best

way to rehabilitate criminals,

there does need to be justice

for victims and community

punishment must be effec-

tive in preventing reoffend-

ing.

“Much of our concerns

around growing retail crime is

about underfunding of the

police and getting the

offenders to court in the first

place. There are too few

officers patrolling the streets

and our members tell me they

very rarely see the police in

their stores. The policy of

issuing fixed penalty notices

for thefts under £200 leads to

too few of these crimes being

investigated and prosecuted.

“There has been a 24 per

cent increase in police

recorded shoplifting and

much of that increase is

driven by criminal gangs with

links to the illegal drugs trade.

Our members would be

distressed if violent shoplift-

ers are not appropriately

punished for the terror they

reign in stores. We are

concerned that today’s

announcement could add to

the impression that shoplift-

ing has effectively been

decriminalised.”

Worry over lenient moves as crime-wave runs out of control

Retail union questions recent

changes to sentencing policy

The UK’s love for spice is

growing, with over a third

of Brits wanting to add

more punch to their

everyday dishes, a recent

report has shown,

highlighting London and

West Midlands as top “hot

spots” of the country.

New research by

Dolmio shows 32% of Brits

love fiery flavours so much,

they add spice even to

traditional meals such as

spaghetti Bolognese or

lasagne.

While London is the

nation’s spice capital, with

79% partial to grub that

truly gets tastebuds

tingling, Yorkshire folk are

Britain’s biggest softies,

with just 56% able to

tolerate it.

Some regions are less

prone to the spicy life than

others, over 40% of Brits

are ready to dial up their

heat tolerance overall,

states the report.

Sian Gavin, Senior

Marketing Manager at

Mars Food said, “The

nation’s love for hotter

foods is a testament to its

appetite for adventure and

flavour, and this dining

experience will not disap-

point. There’s much fun to

be had and we’re excited to

inspire people with bold

dishes that they can

recreate at home – whether

that’s brunch or beyond.”

‘London, West Midlands

love spicy flavours’

Consumer Behaviour

Nick Gillett is Co-founder and

Managing Director of success-

ful spirits distributor Mangrove

Global, as well as

an industry

expert and

commentator.

Nick advocates

for bold and

daring inde-

pendent

producers and here he explains

the opportunity independent

brands present to alcohol

wholesalers.

People are feeling the pinch. With

cost-of-living as high as it is, we

need to work harder to influence

consumers when instore, and

ultimately – encourage them to

buy. Before we can do this, it’s

important to understand what’s at

play and what’s important to the

customers stepping through your

door.

Research carried out by Simply

Business, last year, shows that 88%

of UK shoppers prefer to shop at

small, local, independent busi-

nesses, compared to larger chains.

One of the reasons cited for this, is

that the service is better.1 And I

think this signals that you need to

think about what you can offer

that differs from the large

supermarkets.

It’s unlikely you’ll be able to

compete on price when it comes

to spirits – the economies of scale

at play in the superstores will

nearly always make them the

choice for a cheap bottle. But

what you can do is be flexible with

your range, stock more interesting

items, and mix it up in line with the

various seasons and trends. But

beyond this, you can also become

the place that can always be

trusted to have a first-rate bottle

in stock. Don’t underestimate the

power of education – talk to your

customers, find out what they like,

understand your range, and know

enough about each product to

make a great recommendation.

Yes, it takes a bit of extra effort,

but do this and your repeat

custom will undoubtedly go

through the roof.

Happy

and a prosperous

New Year from all the

Directors, Management

and Colleagues.

Diwali

NEWS

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8 ASIAN TRADER 3 NOVEMBER 2023

London’s Metropolitan Police

has revealed officers are piloting

facial recognition technology to

catch prolific shoplifters, as

stores suffer increased thefts

and violence by criminal gangs,

addicts and others.

It said the trial of the

emerging tech had shown it

could revolutionise how they

tackle an array of offences.

It follows police forces in

Britain and beyond increasingly

deploying facial recognition

software, which civil rights

campaigners argue is open to

racial, gender and other biases.

The Met’s use of the tech to

target shoplifters comes as UK

businesses appeal for govern-

ment and other help to tackle

the fallout from a surge in theft

and violence towards staff.

It has been blamed on the

impact of the pandemic and

Britain’s worst cost-of-living

crisis in decades.

Shoplifting offences

recorded by police in England

and Wales have risen by a

quarter in the past year, Office

for National Statistics (ONS)

data released Thursday showed.

“We’re working with shops

across the capital to target and

track down criminals in a way

we never have before,” Met

commissioner Mark Rowley

said in a statement announcing

the facial recognition trial.

The Met asked a dozen

retailers to provide images of 30

of the worst shoplifting

offenders for the pilot, which

were compared against the

force’s own custody shots. Of

302 images submitted, 149 were

positive matches.

The software uses biometric

measures and works even if part

of an individual’s face is covered,

taking around a minute to find a

match.

Officers are now investigat-

ing further in the hope of build-

ing criminal cases against some

of the suspects.

Desperate times demand technical measures

The Met trials facial

recognition to tackle shoplifting

A shake-up in the

distribution of the Sun,

Times and Sunday Times

has been welcomed by

independent retailers.

News UK has an-

nounced that its Direct

to Retail service, which

supplies nearly 6,000

news retailers within

the M25, is ceasing.

From Nov 13, supplies of the

Sun, Times and Sunday

Times will be handled by

Smiths News and Menzies

Distribution.

News UK said the move

was aimed at “further

bolstering the retail sector,

while ensuring the wide-

spread availability of

newspapers in various

outlets.”

The publisher added that

eliminating the delivery

charge associated with DTR

would result in a £3 million

saving to the retail catego-

ry.

“Retailers were unhap-

py when News UK

introduced its DTR

operation in 2008 as it

was deemed unnecessary

and an additional cost

burden,” said the Fed’s

National President

Muntazir Dipoti.

“Fifteen years later,

against a backdrop of

consistent declines in both

sales and retailers’ profitabil-

ity, it is costing members

£2.34 per day to receive their

supplies of News UK titles.

“Having pushed for such

a change in News UK’s

distribution arrangements

for years, we welcome this

move.”

Indie retailers welcome

News UK distribution plan

Burts £6m new

investment in Leicester site

Snacks maker Burts has invested £6

million into its Leicester factory this

year, doubling the site’s capacity to

produce more hand-cooked chips

and compression popped snacks to

keep up with demand.

As part of the investment,

installations include two new

state-of-the-art fryers, one new

bagging system and 14 compres-

sion poppers to create the brand’s

popular Lentil Chips, along with

doubling the potato storage

capacity and updating handling

operations. These improvements to

the factory have created 16 new jobs

at the Leicester location for frying

and popping operatives.

CJ Lang acquires

ScotFresh c-chain

CJ Lang & Son Ltd, the wholesaler

for SPAR in Scotland, has announced

the acquisition of convenience chain

ScotFresh Group Ltd.

Founded by chairman Shaun

Marwaha’s parents in the east end of

Glasgow in 1983, the business is a

nine-store independent retail

operation based in Glasgow and the

Scottish central belt and has stores

in Glasgow, Riddrie, Cardonald,

Scotstoun and Denny as well as

Irvine, Carluke and Dumfries. The

stores had been trading with

Booker.

130 colleagues will now be

supported by CJ Lang & Son.

£80,000 illegal vapes

seized in Stockport

Trading Standards officers from

Stockport Council seized £80,000

of illegal single use vapes during a

joint operation with Greater

Manchester Police.

Six people were arrested as part

of Operation Rimini, a response to

tackling reports of offences in

Stockport town centre including

theft, shoplifting and anti-social

behaviour.

Council officers visited a number

of premises in Stockport town

centre and Edgeley, seizing vapes

which contained more than the

legal limit of liquid in the chamber,

and some also showing incorrect

health warnings.

www.bestwaywholesale.co.uk

We wish

you a very

happy

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10 ASIAN TRADER 3 NOVEMBER 2023

The Scottish Grocers’ Federa-

tion’s Scottish Local Shop

Report 2023 put the spotlight

on the retail market in Scotland,

showing the substantial

contribution of the conveni-

ence retail sector to the Scottish

Economy and the lifeline

services many local shops

provide for their communities

across Scotland, all in the midst

of a very challenging time for

many homes and businesses.

The latest figures show a

welcome increase in the

number of convenience stores

over the past year, up 73, to 5171

in 2023, accounting for over

49,000 jobs across Scotland.

“Despite very difficult and

challenging circumstances for

many in convenience retail, the

contribution of convenience

stores and retail over the past

few years cannot be overstated,”

said SGF chief executive Pete

Cheema OBE. “Staff and local

shop owners across Scotland

have continued to play an

essential role in both the

Scottish Economy and for

people in their communities.

“Once again, the informa-

tion gathered in the report

clearly makes the case for

targeted support from govern-

ment for our industry. So that

we can continue to deliver for

our local economies and

communities.”

Compiled in collaboration

with the Association of

Convenience Stores, the Local

Shop Report has revealed the

enormous contribution that

convenience stores in Scotland

make to people’s lives, not just

as essential grocery businesses,

but as job creators, community

hubs and beacons of entrepre-

neurship.

Across the UK, the conveni-

ence sector contributed more

than £10.6 billion in Gross Value

Added and over £9.1 billion in

taxes, in 2022/23, with 70% of

stores run by independent

retailers, either entirely

unaffiliated or as part of a

symbol group.

Praise from report released at Glagow conference

SGF report underlines

essential role of c-stores

Swiss giant Nestlé plans to

close a baby food factory,

and an adjacent research

and development (R&D)

facility in southwest

Ireland with the expected

loss of around 542 jobs.

The Swiss group plans to

shutter the plant in

Askeaton by early 2026,

and the co-located R&D

centre by early 2025, said a

Nestle spokesperson in a

statement sent to AFP.

“Regrettably, today’s

announcement means

approximately 542 col-

leagues will be placed at risk

of redundancy,” said the

statement.

The Askeaton facilities,

which are 222 kilometres

southwest of Dublin, were

part of Nestle’s acquisition of

Pfizer Nutrition in 2012, and

operate as Wyeth Nutrition-

als Ireland Ltd.

The factory, whose

products are exclusively

exported to China and

wider Asia, currently

employs 491, with 51

employed at R&D centre.

“External trends have

significantly impacted

demand for infant nutri-

tion products in the

Greater China region,”

according to the statement.

“The number of new-born

babies in China has declined

sharply from 18 million per

year in 2016 to fewer than 9

million projected in 2023.”

Production will be shifted

to existing plants in Switzer-

land and China.

Nestlé to close Ireland

facilities – 542 job losses

Retailer social media

from Booker

Booker has introduced an innova-

tive solution to assist retailers in

effectively managing their social

media presence.

SocioConnect is designed as a

user-friendly app that enables

retailers to handle their social media

content across various popular

platforms from a single platform.

Store managers can easily register

and download the app to their

phones or desktops, free of charge.

With the app, retailers can track the

performance of every post,

enabling them to determine the

most successful content and

optimize future posts for maximum

reach and engagement.

Rat-infested cash & carry

ﬁned £66k

Krishna Cash & Carry was fined at

Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court after

breaching hygiene conditions

following a rat infestation.

According to Hillingon Council,

company director, Santhirasegaram

Ketheeswaran, had admitted five

breaches of food hygiene regulations.

The council team discovered dirt,

food debris, flies and rat droppings,

and the structure was in such a state of

disrepair that multiple holes allowed

rats to freely enter the business.

A dead rat was found under a

pallet of rice bags and electrical

sockets behind freezers were hanging

off the wall.

Premier Exports London

joins Unitas

Formerly a Sugro member, Premier

Exports London is a delivered

wholesaler supplying over 550

international customers (95%

retailers) with grocery, confection-

ery and ambient products. The

business operates from a 23,000 sq

ft depot with a turnover of £47

million in the past financial year.

“We are delighted that Premier

Exports London has decided that

Unitas is the place to now grow their

business and take it to the next

level,” said Unitas Wholesale MD

John Kinney.

The new recruit takes Unitas

Wholesale’s total membership to

155 businesses.