Angela Prescot, store manager at Spar Roe Lane, in Southport, says fresh fruit, veg and salads are keeping tills ringing.

She explains: “We’ve got some good prices on our fresh fruit and veg at the moment which are bringing customers in. We’ve advertised these prices with our leaflet drops as well as on our media screens outside the store.

“Spar own brand salads are also doing very well. We have a new range of salads that people like to buy for their lunches, as well as trays of fruit salads. We’ve had the fruit salad for a while but they’re really popular lately, possibly just because it’s January.

“I’ve also noticed a lot of people picking up the USN protein flapjack bars. I’ve noticed that people will often buy these first thing in the morning. I don’t know if these people really have so much energy in the morning that they’re going to the gym or whether they’re simply swapping out an ordinary cereal bar with a protein bar as they see it as being a healthier option.

“I’ve also noticed a lot more people buying our gluten free bread since we started stocking the Schar range. I think this is because the price point is so much better and the use-by dates are much longer so they offer much better value for money than many other gluten free bread brands.”

Successful NPD

Angela says the new Cadbury Creme egg ‘Hunt down the white creme egg’ competition has been a success at encouraging shoppers to buy more.

“Creme eggs are out now and everybody seems to love these. We brought ours out the week after Christmas and the uptake was immediate. I have also noticed that a lot of people are buying them just to try and find the white one!”