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@Retailer - So because Costcutter have a good website but are no good at everything else, that means a consumer facing website isn't important? Are you pulling my leg? Since when has it been a sensible idea to use Costcutter as a benchmark?

Of course stock and range is vital but that doesn't mean everything else goes out the window (if it did, retailers would still be wasting their days buying goods from the cash and carry).

Apart from Landmark Wholesale's Lifestyle Express and Booker's Family Shopper, is there any other symbol that still doesn't have a consumer facing website in 2018?

A consumer facing website is so simple and inexpensive, so why doesn't Best One have one? It's almost as if they're not that committed to the Best One brand.

A store locator is such a basic function in this day and age, especially when the data is used by third parties such as Google Business listings, satnav providers etc.

Best One missing out on this small but important detail can hardly be described as "focusing on bringing consumers into retailers stores".

It's shocking how many independent retailers are losing business because their opening hours (and even their shops in general!) cannot be found online.

Perhaps older shopkeepers are still clueless about how the internet works and don't understand the importance of an online presence, but that's not such a problem if ones symbol group performs the basic task of publishing the information on their behalf.

There's still a long way for all symbols to go to catch up with the big boys store locators. For example, when a consumer Googles to find a local shop open on a bank holiday, they will instantly see up-to-date store opening times for that day for all the big supermarket chains (without having to even leave Google). Consumers won't usually find seasonal opening times for convenience stores and are instead presented with a warning by Google that any normal opening times are subject to change, which is bound to put some shoppers off (and the shop's opening times may not even differ but the consumer might decide it's not worth risking it and instead go to the local Tesco Express or Sainsbury's Local, which is confirmed as open). Spar is the only symbol which appears to publish seasonal opening times but even that's hit and miss (possibly because some shops don't provide the data).

I can't believe in 2018, independent retailers are still lagging so far behind when it comes to being found online - this is such basic stuff! Obviously shopkeepers are in the retail game and not IT, so I appreciate some may not really understand the internet but what is unforgivable is the way some symbol groups, with all their resources and marketing budgets, are also completely clueless (or just don't care - you decide).

Anyone reading this, do yourself a favour and make sure your shop(s) can easily be found online and the details are accurate. If you still don't have a Google listing, add one, it's free and only takes a few minutes. Consumers can leave reviews and upload photos on your Google listing which will make it rank higher and in turn will result in more potential customers learning of your shop's existence.