We have an enhanced focus on fresh and chilled in the latest issue, and I urge you to do the same within your business.
We have an enhanced focus on fresh and chilled in the latest issue, and I urge you to do the same within your business.
I accept that it’s easy for me to say, and more difficult to do in practice, but there is no doubt that the momentum of the industry is now fully in the direction of fresh and chilled food, sold locally. So we have launched a new initiative in partnership with leading chilled suppliers to see if we can encourage greater commitment and participation in the chilled food category from the independent trade, and we are also this issue publishing a feature following retailers who have excelled in fresh fruit & veg.
The industry needs to do it. The explosion of Tesco- and Sainsbury’s-branded c-stores has caused problems for thousands of independents, but it has also changed consumers’ perception of what is expected from a local convenience store. If you don’t have a fresh and chilled offer, you don’t really have an offer at all.
I’m not saying ‘news, booze and fags’ is dead, by no means. News is still good business, and a great driver of footfall. Tobacco is still hugely important to c-stores, and as our feature in this issue shows, still characterised by innovation from suppliers trying to meet smokers’ changing requirements. And alcohol is, and will always remain, a fundamental part of a local store’s offer. But each of those three categories are under pressure for a variety of reasons and it will become increasingly difficult to base your offer around them in future, at least in the traditional sense. (Indeed, many alcohol suppliers are increasingly focusing on product quality, enjoyable consumption and combination with food instead of just volume sales, and this fits well with the concept of a community-focused local c-store with an excellent range of meal options).
So if you are not already doing so, C-Store is urging you to look at how you can rebalance your business with an enhanced fresh and chilled offer. We will be doing all we can to give you the advice and inspiration to make a start.
