Since taking over as operator of The National Lottery in February 2024, Allwyn has gotten straight to work introducing new initiatives and upgrading systems and equipment.

Having stepped into the role of Director of Commercial Partnerships and Retail Sales, Alison Acquaye-Acford has been leading the team involved with their core customers, keeping retailers updated on the ongoing changes and plans for the future.

Having marked the 30^th anniversary of The National Lottery last November, Allwyn took the opportunity to celebrate with its retail partners here in Northern Ireland earlier this year, when Chair Justin King MBE hosted a special celebratory breakfast at the Titanic Hotel.

As Alison explained, continued communication with their 43,500 retail partners is key to them being able to deliver on their ambitions, namely on their ultimate goal of growing returns to Good Causes from £30 million a week to £60 million a week by the end of their 10-year licence.

“Our retail partners are the backbone of The National Lottery and, to most players, our public face. So, we need to effectively communicate with them to ensure they continue to be great supporters and advocates of The National Lottery and everything it delivers across the UK,” said Alison.

“One of our main priorities is to make buying The National Lottery as easy and convenient for people as possible. That means being in the places that people are shopping and also ensuring we’re keeping up with the ever-changing retail landscape.

“For example, we’ve partnered with Snappy Shopper to offer independent retailers the ability to sell Scratchcards for home delivery, as that is becoming more popular for people with busy lives from a convenience perspective. And, for any retailer that does not yet have The National Lottery in their shop, we’d love to hear from you.”

In the last 20 months, from taking over as operator of The National Lottery a number of retail initiatives have been introduced, including rolling out the new, sustainable suite of National Lottery permanent point of sale (PPOS) equipment; launching the Local Retail Champions campaign, which is now in its second year; and introducing ‘Share the Win’, which rewards retailers who sell high-tier winning tickets in their stores.

Significantly, during the summer, they took National Lottery systems and terminals offline for 34 hours to allow them to deliver the biggest tech upgrade since The National Lottery was first launched in 1994.

“This saw us deliver 30-plus new systems, including new gaming software on every National Lottery terminal, and a series of complex data migrations, including the transfer of tens of thousands of retailer records and millions of transactions from the old to the new systems,” said Alison.

“We also upgraded our Retailer Hotline to new modern contact centre technology.

“Thanks to the support from our 43,500 retail partners, we were able to get systems back up and running several hours earlier than expected and the vast majority of stores were able to continue selling National Lottery tickets in good time.

“A small minority of stores experienced residual issues, and we have worked hard, and continue to do so, to carry out remote troubleshooting and face-to-face visits. Subsequently, we’ve also started the scale rollout of the new state-of-the-art Wave lottery terminals – with the new terminals being universally welcomed by the retailers that have received them.”

It’s fair to say that most of the focus for Allwyn this year has been on preparing their systems, tech and, most importantly, their retail partners for the recent technical switchover weekend. This involved delivering and installing the new Wave terminals in around 8000 stores that previously had Compact Lottery Terminals.

Alison explained that as the new terminal software wouldn’t work on the Compact Lottery Terminals, they had to ensure those stores didn’t experience any interruption to trading following the switchover.

“We then also carried out more than 39,000 phone calls, emails and face-to-face rep visits to National Lottery retailers ahead of the weekend; sent out comprehensive upgrade support packs to all stores, which included customer-facing posters and table-toppers to keep in-store players informed; and we doubled the amount of retail support resource available on the ground,” said Alison.

“Now our primary focus turns to rolling out the remainder of the Wave terminals and the PPOS items across all stores, with the rollout carrying on at pace in Northern Ireland as we speak.

“For the retailers that are patiently waiting, we are replacing thousands of Altura terminals each week and the PPOS is also steadily arriving in stores, so look out for communication from our support team who will be in touch to book in your installation date.”

Allwyn returned as platinum sponsor for the 2025 Neighbourhood Retailer Awards, as well as sponsoring the Community Store of the Year category, with Alison stressing the importance of them recognising and celebrating the achievements of Northern Irish retailers.

“It’s a real honour to be given the opportunity to help highlight, recognise and celebrate the huge contribution that independent retailers make to local high streets across Northern Ireland,” she said.

“It means a great deal to everyone at Allwyn to be able to celebrate the diligence, passion and perseverance shown by these retailers, day in, day out – many times 365 days a year.”

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH ALISON ACQUAYE-ACFORD IN THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER HERE

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For over 100 years, S&W has built a legacy of trust as Ireland’s leading wholesaler, consistently offering ‘A Whole Lot More’ to support the success of their customers.

Their long-standing history is testament to their unwavering commitment to the wholesale sector and the retail community across the island of Ireland, a commitment S&W continues to strengthen with clear promises for the future.

Indeed, S&W’s innovative transition nearly three years ago to an Employee-Owned Trust (EOT) – a first of its kind for a company of its scale in Northern Ireland – underscores their dedication to a stable and reliable future. This unique structure ensures that S&W’s focus remains firmly on the long-term success of their retailers and customers, fostering employee retention and mutual growth alongside valued suppliers.

As CEO of S&W Wholesale, Anthony McVeigh told NR the move to transition to an EOT was to cement the legacy of S&W as well as strengthen their partnerships with their customers, employees and suppliers.

“We wanted to install confidence in our customers, suppliers and wider stakeholders that S&W will be here for the long-term, to support their business and grow alongside S&W as their trusted wholesaler,” said Anthony.

“The EOT move has allowed us to successfully do this, as we look to the future with our new multi-purpose building currently in construction with local contractor, Kelly Bros from Warrenpoint.”

“Becoming an EOT employer means our people have a genuine stake in S&W’s future,” added Laura Cassells, Head of People and Culture at S&W.

“It protects our culture, keeps us independent, and creates space for growth – growth of the business, growth in opportunities for our people, and growth in the positive impact we can make in our community.”

This summer, S&W announced it had appointed building contractor, Kelly Brothers LLP from Warrenpoint as the main contractor on its new, purpose-built facilities in Newry.

The new site, which is located approximately three miles from its current headquarters in Carnbane Business Park, is situated adjacent to the southbound side of the A1 dual carriageway, supporting the company’s future growth plans right across the island to better service our customers.

The proposal for the 180,000 sq ft storage and distribution warehouse including ancillary office accommodation is a major boost to the EOT business, as it looks to the future.

“As a Leadership Team, we recognised that the business has been curtailed in recent times through space constraints and operating across multiple sites,” said Anthony.

“This investment in the new facilities will secure the long-term future of S&W as a leading independent grocery wholesaler – one that our customers can continue to place their trust in.

“As an EOT business, it is essential that we continue to invest in the business, our people and in the local community. This new facility will allow us to maximise our operational efficiency and support our customers further.”

In the meantime, the company has continued to invest in other sides of the business, including its ever-growing fleet and logistics operations.

“We have already invested significantly in our fleet with new additions, including temperature-controlled lorries this year to help service our customers more efficiently,” said Clive Whylie, Head of Operations.

“With the development of our new site well underway, we have upgraded and invested back into our warehouse efficiencies with the introduction of new state-of-the-art pallet and reach trucks. This crucial investment will enable our award-winning operations team to enhance both the reliability of our service to customers and our internal operational efficiencies.

“Our continuous improvement mindset at S&W is centred around a core value – prioritising the customer. We are constantly looking for ways to improve as a team and offer a better service each time for our customers.”

Delivering on a promise to offer ‘A Whole Lot More’ for its customers, S&W established an exciting new symbol brand, Nearby in 2021. Exclusive to the company, it was launched with a commitment to play a vital part in a modernisation strategy to help independent retailers forge deeper connections with their local communities.

Promising to refresh the look and feel of convenience stores, the Nearby brand delivers a sense of togetherness, convenience and great value that’s never too far from home.

Nearby has proved it is more than a symbol for independent retailers. With a retail support system in place, the latest market knowledge and retail technology, retailers can focus on what they do best, while Nearby supports the rest.

Having marked the fourth anniversary of Nearby this summer, Chief Sales Officer Michael Skelton told NR their Nearby stores are central to the company’s mission.

“The success of Nearby stems from our unwavering customer loyalty in independent retailing, paired with our robust wholesale support,” said Michael.

TO SEE THE S&W WHOLESALE SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT IN THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER, CLICK HERE

The post S&W Wholesale – Ireland’s trusted wholesaler focuses on its next chapter first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

In a landscape marked by fluctuating economic conditions and shifting consumer priorities, the resilience and efforts of certain brands have shone through, driving their growth and securing their place in the hearts and baskets of Northern Irish shoppers.

The recently released 2025 Ireland Brand Footprint report by Worldpanel by Numerator sheds light on the brands that have not only endured but thrived in challenging times.

In this exclusive supplement, Neighbourhoud Retailer publishes Northern Ireland’s Top 100 Grocery Brands, in association with Worldpanel by Numerator, providing valuable insight into NI’s most popular brands in take-home grocery.

In Northern Ireland over the 52 weeks to 15^th June 2025, branded sales grew at 1.8% with shoppers spending an additional £42.5 million on branded goods. Over the course of the last two years, shoppers have been looking for ways to mitigate rising costs and manage household budgets and as a result many have turned to Private Label (PL) offerings.

PL is performing slightly behind brands at 1.7%, however it is worth noting that in Northern Ireland, brands still hold the highest value share at 54.9%.

Business Development Director at Worldpanel by Numerator, Emer Healy said it is clear that specifically Irish and British brands are important to Northern Ireland consumers, something strongly reflected in the rankings.

“Within the top five, four Irish and British brands hold position – Hovis, Cookstown, Kingsmill and Denny again showing how important heritage brands are for consumers,” said Emer.

“This reflects strong shopper loyalty despite the rise of own-label alternatives. This suggests that heritage, familiarity and perceived quality still play a major role in consumer choice.”

There has been a notable shift within the landscape with rising costs and high inflation rates impacting on how consumers are trying to manage their households budgets, with the latest data revealing that the latest inflation to 15^th June 2025 is 2.79%, inflation in NI continues to fall, versus last year it has continued to fall gradually.

“However, versus last year there has been a step change as 56% of brands managed to grow their CRP within the year versus 20% last year,” added Emer.

“In terms of attracting new shoppers, 41% of brands managed to attract new shoppers into their brand offerings, which is up on 39% last year.

“Out of the top 100, Keeling’s managed to see the strongest penetration growth, now holding 37.5% penetration which is up 18ppts versus last year, showing how strong the brand’s activation has been across the year and how shoppers in Northern Ireland are looking for the best quality in the market.

“This has been reflected in the top 100 brands as only 20% of brands have managed to grow their CRP within the year. In terms of attracting new shoppers, only 39% of brands managed to attract new shoppers into their brand offerings.”

There have been some interesting movements within the 2025 top 100, significantly a jump of 41 places sees Keeling’s now hold 43^rd place. With the strongest CRP growth amongst the top 100, Keeling’s influx of new shoppers has resulted in a rise of +70.2%.

Pringles also saw CRP growth of 56.6%, jumping 14 places in the rankings to hold 21^st place. Their growth is driven by not only welcoming new shoppers into the brands offerings but also a boost in frequency.

Oykos jumped a staggering 62 places and entered the top 100 for the first time holding 99^th position. Their growth is driven by not only welcoming new shoppers into the brands offerings but also a boost in frequency.

Meanwhile, there were contrasting results for some brands, with Skinny Bars falling 28 places in the rankings and seeing their CRP growth decline by 22.3%; notably Lucozade fell 15 places in the rankings and saw their CRP growth decline by 20%; while Aero fell 19 places in the rankings and saw their CRP growth decline by 18.7%.

Stand-out performers in this year’s BFP are Tayto and Pringles, who likely benefited from strong, engaging campaigns. Their growth in CRP, frequency, and spend suggests effective brand activation and promotional strategies.

“In this year’s Worldpanel by Numerator Brand Footprint for Northern Ireland, a clear shift in consumer behaviour has emerged as the cost-of-living crisis continues to shape shopping habits,” said Emer.

“Many brands have experienced a notable decline in both frequency and penetration, indicating that shoppers are visiting stores less often and purchasing fewer brands overall.

“Instead, consumers are consolidating their shopping trips and opting to buy in larger quantities, favouring brands that offer multipack deals or strong value propositions. This trend reflects a more deliberate and budget-conscious approach to grocery shopping, where efficiency and perceived value are driving brand choice more than ever.”

SEE THE FULL TOP 100 IN THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER HERE

The post Find out Northern Ireland’s Top 100 grocery brands first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The significant rise in retail crime over the last month is giving cause for concern for retailers right across the region.

The second half of July in particular saw a spate of incidents, including armed robberies and thefts and attempted thefts of ATMs across Northern Ireland, leaving retailers wondering how they can secure their premises and staff against attacks.

Indeed, recent statistics from the ONS show shoplifting offences rose by 20% in the year ending March 2025.

Retail crime across the region is an issue NR has focused on in the past, with retailers and police alike highlighting the severity of the situation. And while retail crime in Northern Ireland is not as bad as in other parts of the UK, the impact of crime and its after-effects cannot be underestimated.

It was also announced in recent weeks that shopworkers across Ards and North Down are to start wearing bodycams in a bid to crack down on retail crime and anti-social behaviour. Businesses in Bangor, Holywood, Newtownards, Comber and Donaghadee have come together in support of a new initiative as retailers here become increasingly frustrated with rising crime rates.

In the wake of these recent incidents, the PSNI has confirmed it has increased its visibility patrols in high-risk areas to deter offenders and provide reassurance to retail staff and store owners.

Three armed robberies from commercial premises occurred in south Belfast within 24 hours at the end of July, all believed to have been carried out by the same individual.

Between 8.40pm and 8.50pm on Wednesday 30^th July a man entered an off licence in the Sunnyside Street area and demanded staff hand over money from the till before threatening them with a knife.

He then made off with a sum of cash in a small brown paper bag and headed in the direction of Haywood Avenue. He was described as being about 6ft tall and medium build, wearing a blue Adidas hoodie, black tracksuit bottoms and black and white trainers, along with sunglasses and black gloves.

Then on Thursday 31^st July police received a report of a second armed robbery at around 1pm when a man entered an off licence in the Stranmillis Road area.

Having entered the store at approximately 12.45pm, staff were similarly threatened with a knife, and the man demanded cash before making off in the direction of Stranmillis Park.

Finally, a report of a third armed robbery on Thursday 31^st July saw another off licence targeted, this time in the Ormeau Road area. A man entered the store and threatened staff with a knife, demanding they hand over the contents of the till.

“We believe this is the same individual involved with the previous two robberies, who is described as being 5ft 10” to 6ft tall, of medium build and approximately 40 years old,” said Detective Sergeant Leeman.

“He was wearing light grey tracksuit bottoms and a grey fleece, along with a navy beanie hat, a white t-shirt or bandana used as a mask and black gloves. He also wore khaki-coloured trainers and carried a white plastic bag.”

ATMs have again been targeted in areas across Northern Ireland, with the attempted theft of one at a business in Clough on Friday 1^st August.

A number of makes wearing dark clothing and masks were seen in the area between 1.30am and 4am.

These incidents follow swiftly on the back of an attempted ATM theft in Newtownabbey, the theft from an ATM at a shop in Jonesborough, County Armagh and two armed robberies in east Belfast, when cash and tobacco products taken in one incident and cash stolen from the till in another.

Staff were left shaken when threatened with a knife but thankfully were not physically injured.

Inspector Pete Cunningham from the PSNI’s Business Crime Team told NR they were committed to tackling offences against businesses through a combination of prevention, enforcement and partnership working.

“We are committed to working with retailers, trade bodies, other government bodies, and local communities to tackle shoplifting and assaults,” he told NR.

“The Police Service of Northern Ireland has increased visibility patrols in high-risk retail areas to deter offenders and provide reassurance to staff, using intelligence-led policing to identify repeat offenders and organised shoplifting gangs, working closely with retail security teams.”

Inspector Cunningham reiterated their calls for businesses to report all incidents and invest in evidence-based crime prevention measures.

YOU CAN READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN THE JULY-AUGUST ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER HERE

The post Special Report: Retail crime on the rise? first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

There is no denying that the CTN as we know it is under increasing pressure. Retail as a whole is battling rising business costs, continued changes to legislation and employment rights they must keep abreast of, all while striving for innovation and success; for the CTN sector, it is facing a somewhat unique battle as the traditional familiar format is evolving.

In the last few months a long-standing and popular CTN announced its closure, with The Tuck Shop in Warrenpoint informing their customers via social media they will close in the next few months.

According to figures from Newspread owners, Reach, there were 26 shop closures announced in 2024 and so far this year, there have been 21 closures.

“If the trajectory is sustained, there will be approximately 40 closures in 2025,” said Grace McPhail from Newspread.

While these figures don’t capture category types, they highlight the state of retail here and provide some insight to the challenging decisions being made by business owners in Northern Ireland.

Julie Brown has been in business for 50 years, co-owner of Livingstone’s Newsagents in Comber with her brother, Jim Livingstone. A typical CTN, Julie is only too aware of the challenges facing independent retailers across the region. They have had to diversify and adapt over the years to compete and bring in extra services for the consumer as well as look at trends and initiatives to make the customer’s life easier.

“Rural areas are hardest hit, and the last ACS report shows that Post Office, convenience stores and pharmacies are major requirements in local areas,” said Julie.

“With Post Office contracting the convenience store, it is the only source of access to cash for many people and more importantly, the stores are social hubs for the community with no local village halls or pubs. With many elderly people, the stores are the only source of interaction they have.

“The sector is expanding their range of services from typical CTN to basic groceries, bill payment, postal and parcel services, banking services, cards and gifting, to balloons and novelties. Stores that are proactive are looking for the latest trends.”

This is concurred by Judy Mercer, owner of Hamilton News on the Cregagh Road.

“We have had to be very inventive and grasp technology and follow trends, but most importantly, not get stuck in the past,” said Judy.

“The world has changed and so must we. Many retailers are now using Facebook, TikTok, Instagram etc and they are really successful in driving footfall.

“If the product is marketed well, the public will travel regardless of location,” added Judy.

The Tuck Shop in Warrenpoint has been faithfully serving its customers for decades and is a core part of the local community, providing essential services to young and old. Established in 1910 and first opened by Miss M Kelly, The Tuck Shop has been a critical part of the seaside town since then.

They announced their closure in a post on social media, informing their customers far and wide they would close on Friday 29^th August after “many wonderful years serving the community”.

Many people were quick to voice their sadness at the news, saying the shop and its staff had been an important part of their childhood and lives for decades. Warrenpoint councillor Mark Gibbons said the shop was “much more than just a newsagents”.

“Generations of people have walked through its doors, not just to pick up their messages, but to connect, chat and to smile,” said Councillor Gibbons.

“This closure is not just the loss of a business, it’s the loss of a lifeline for many and a real blow to the fabric of our community. The people of Warrenpoint are truly gutted to see such an important part of our town disappear.”

The Federation of Independent Retailers has been raising the concerns of retailers here with those in authority and meetings with Executive Ministers are in the pipeline.

“The Fed has contacted the Northern Ireland Executive as well as the Westminster Government in recent months to flag the issue of high costs of doing business, rising taxes and the worrying upward trend in retail crime, and this will continue,” said the Fed National President, Hetal Patel.

“In coming months, we plan to engage with figures such as Caoimhe Archibald MLA, Minister for the Economy and Naomi Long MLA, Minister for Justice.

“Like other retail outlets, the typical CTN is facing considerable pressures, with increased rising operational costs, increased living wage, increased energy costs, rising levels of crime and new laws around the sales of vapes. According to British Retail Consortium figures, Northern Ireland last year experienced a 5.8% decline in footfall (for all retail outlets) – the highest in the UK.

“With increasing costs, CTN owners are reviewing staffing levels, cutting employees’ hours and taking on more hours themselves,” added Hetal Patel.

“This pressure has been growing since covid, thanks to a perfect storm of rising operating costs and decreasing margins from news wholesalers.”

YOU CAN READ THE FULL FEATURE IN THE JULY-AUGUST ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER HERE

The post SAVE OUR STORES – the crisis facing CTNs first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.