Significant rises in energy bills were inescapable last year, with everyone feeling the impact of inflated gas and electricity prices in light of global price pressures, triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Customers saw their bills double and even triple in some instances and government assistance came in the form of relief schemes, designed to ease the burden on consumers.

ENERGY BILLS DISCOUNT SCHEME

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme supporting businesses and public sector organisations provided a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices and came to an end in March this year. A new Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) was introduced in April 2023, effective to April next year, for eligible non-domestic consumers in Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

According to government guidance, the EBDS is intended to strike a balance between supporting businesses over the year while limiting taxpayer’s exposure to volatile energy markets. However, while wholesale gas prices have fallen to levels just before the invasion of Ukraine, electricity prices remain high.

Inevitably, retailers are feeling this especially, as the very nature of their business requires extensive refrigeration systems and lighting throughout their stores.

SPIRALLING COSTS

Rathfriland retailer, Tom McAvoy has experienced striking increases in the bills coming to his Milestone Nisaextra store, with electricity and gas seeing the “most significant” increases.

“Our electricity costs had risen by £45,000 per month at one stage,” Tom told NR. “This has come back significantly in the last two months and we are continuously monitoring it.

“Electricity and gas have had the most significant increases. Electricity has increased by in excess of 300% but is now coming back down, however still remains much higher than where it was last year.”

‘Electricity has increased by in excess of 300% but is now coming back down, however still remains much higher than where it was last year’

Newry retailer, Terry Mulkerns explained to NR all retailers are experiencing the same problem.

“My energy costs have more than doubled – they have gone from roughly £7000 per month to over £18,000 per month,” he said.

“That is the scale we are talking about and it’s not unusual now. We thought our original bills were expensive until these increases.

“We would never have things switched on that didn’t need to be on. We obviously have to keep the fridges and freezers switched on, but we were never about wasting energy.”

Terry explained that while they do have doors on some of their refrigeration, it hasn’t been possible to retrofit doors on all facilities, and they continue to make savings where they can.

“We educate our staff on keeping those doors closed, all our lights are sensors and we have solar panels – there is little more we can do,” he said.

While they use oil for their heating, electricity is their main energy source at Mulkerns EUROSPAR store based just outside Newry city. Terry said that he and many other retailers feel they have been “left to it” by energy companies.

GOVERNMENT HELP

“I look at the bill and it says 50% of our electricity is coming from renewables, but they have not gone up in price, so I can’t understand how the bill is so high. I think we are being unfairly targeted.

“There was talk of government help, it was just about £300, so was of little benefit. The headlines were all about what we were getting, but that is not what we got. Any price caps were on the wholesale price, but that is not something we had a say in, so it’s all smoke and mirrors.

“When we queried the bills, all we got were three pages of unintelligible excuses of why we were not getting any government help. I just feel that somewhere along the line someone is making money and it isn’t the retailers.”

Tom McAvoy added that while the government scheme “was only activated once” it went some way to help “in that it took the fear out of the situation”.

The financial burdens on retailers show no signs of easing, with National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage increases also adding to that, meaning owners and managers are left with little option but to pass price increases onto their customers.

‘Retailers are a naturally resilient crowd and are hopelessly optimistic, but if we were to sit down and reflect on it all, you would start to wonder why you are still doing it’

“Electricity and staffing are our main costs – it’s just the perfect storm. We are a small independent company and those costs have an impact,” said Terry Mulkerns.

“We have had to pass on the price increases to the customer, we did not have a choice. When the price of milk doubles in 18 months there is no way we can absorb that.

“We are trying to keep value out there but, for example, chicken prices are up 40% and we do not carry that much profit in any line to absorb those increases.”

Tom McAvoy added that the Milestone was facing the same challenges.

“Yes, wages, overheads and rates as well as VAT returning to 20% rate all have impacted on our profit,” said Tom.

“At first we tried to absorb some of the price increases, however we have had no option but to pass on a proportion of the pain to our customers.”

“Retailers are a naturally resilient crowd and are hopelessly optimistic, but if we were to sit down and reflect on it all, you would start to wonder why you are still doing it. If you dwell on it for too long, you are left questioning,” added Terry Mulkerns.

FUTURE INVESTMENT

Inevitably, with such pressures on finances, tough decisions are required on how cash is spent, with Terry revealing that “investment is on hold”.

“That is going to be the theme across the board in retail at the minute. Investment is going to have to take a back seat for the foreseeable future – any money we would have put away for investment has gone to electricity – that is the reality.

“It will start stabilising, energy will come back down somewhat, but not to what it was before. Any reduction right now would be positive.

“I would imagine that there are businesses at risk of closure,” added Terry.

“It depends on their wages, but if profits are wiped out, I do not know how they would survive. Profits are the wages of the owners and if you do not have profits, then you do not have a wage. It’s a very bleak outlook.

“All it would take is for something else to go wrong and we are sitting in a very bad place.”

TURBULENT TIMES

For Terry, the question he is left with is why electricity prices have yet to see any reduction.

“The gas prices were up and peaked but they only lasted a short while, compared to the electricity prices. Our bills have not gone down, they have just risen and risen and there is no sign of them coming down.

“The question needs to be asked of the energy companies as to why we are still paying such high unit costs.”

Having undergone extensive expansion and development in recent years at the Milestone Rathfriland, Tom McAvoy is all-too aware of the importance of investing in the business and providing an extensive range for consumers, but added that caution is the name of the game at the moment.

“We are now more cautious with our expenditure,” he said. “However, we do realise that to succeed we must continue to invest in the business.

“What needs to happen now is for costs to stabilise and inflation needs to be brought under control.

“It has been a challenge to get through these turbulent times, but I think the survivors will come out stronger after this chapter in our retailing.”

TO VIEW THE FULL STORY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER MAY ISSUE, CLICK HERE

The post Retailers facing ‘perfect financial storm’ first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

It was vital for retailers and suppliers to meet up face to face at Food Force Ireland’s Trade Day following a two year break, according to chairman Jonathan Crawford.

For the past two years, the key industry event has had to migrate online and the event at the Culloden Hotel and Spa on September 12 was the first time it has taken place in person since 2019.

“Last Tuesday was really important in terms of getting a chance to finally meet with our local suppliers again face to face after two years of not. These are the key account managers and shareholders within suppliers that wwe get to meet face to face once a year,” FFI chairman Jonathan Crawford said.

“So we were looking forward to getting back to that – we had a range of deals that Trading Controller Debra Johnston set up for the day and we went around placing orders for those deals with each of the suppliers, trying to pick up value that we could pass through to our own consumers.

“We’ve had two years there of not getting a day out of the business to lift our heads to see what else is available and there are lots of suppliers who had new ranges and exciting new products to show us. 

“That wee gap of a couple of years maybe gave us a wee bit more hunger to go and see that so that’s all a good thing.”

Fourth generation

Jonathan himself is a fourth-generation independent retailer, taking over Crawford’s of Maghera from his parents.

“We have been involved in Food Force Ireland since its inception really in the late ‘80s and I took over the treasurer role in 1999,” he says.

“My family supermarket has always been independent and Food Force Ireland was started as a group of independents which together formed a limited company called Food Force Ireland Ltd in the 1980s.

“Alastair Smyth from Limavady was one of the driving forces in it, along with Henry Emerson from Armagh, and they created the buying group to help negotiate with Northern Irish suppliers for independent retailers. So we were all owner managed and then pooled a central resource together that Alastair would have run.

“Then Alastair retired in 2000 and we employed a Trading Controller in Belfast to look after the role that he did and there was a board of directors around that.”

Growing movement

Since the year 2000, the group has gone from strength to strength, growing in terms of membership and revenue, Jonathan says.

“We tried to pool together on central deals with mainly Northern Ireland based suppliers – your household brands, the likes of Tayto, Ormo, Mother’s Pride and Punjana tea bags have all been central to what we do, what people buy in their shops in the province.

“The people in Food Force Ireland have evolved but the general memorandums and articles, and the core principles of Food Force are the same – it’s a group of independent retailers who pull together in order to share benefit among themselves. Nothing is kept by Food Force itself and any benefits that come through are passed through to the membership on an equal basis so that core belief has stayed there. It’s like everything, some of the people have come and gone but the principles are still there.”

Back in person

Over the last five or six years before Covid, the event has been held in the Culloden Hotel in Co Down.

“It’s great to get back to doing that again and actually having a place we can go to, rather than trying to do these things online,” Jonathan says.

“The other thing we do with this show that is quite unique – this is a free day we give to all members and all suppliers and that encourages them to bring their best deals with them.

“We’re not charging suppliers that turn up – there’s no tax through Food Force, if you like, so this is a day where they can bring their best deals and they will be passed through to the membership and that makes us unique as well.”

Supply chain

The unique approach of Food Force Ireland really paid dividends for members when the arrival of the pandemic disrupted supply chains, Jonathan says.

“A lot of us would have been buying from UK-wide wholesalers and when Covid came, they came under so much demand that their supply network just crumpled and didn’t work.  We were placing orders for 5,000 cases and getting 200 delivered – it was horrendous,” he says.

“But that local supply base that is operated in Northern Ireland with the likes of Punjana tea bags and the PRMs of this world and Tayto and everything… we couldn’t get Walkers crisps in from England but Tayto were on our doorstep every week, with whatever we wanted.

“So it was great to have those direct links – they were direct to store, they weren’t going through a warehouse somewhere. It was direct from the supplier to our back door in each of our shops and that really made a difference during the dark days of Covid.

Direct links

“The suppliers would come very early in the morning and leave off deliveries to our back door. We trusted them that they would leave off what was right, they trusted us that we wouldn’t have shortages.

“Our supply chains did work during that time which was great – we had toilet rolls when nobody else had. And that was really due to the way that we make our supply chain. If anything it’s a bit old fashioned and that worked during times of crisis.”

Many retailers have been experiencing a period of labour shortages but the pressure appears to be lifting somewhat, Jonathan says.

“That was tough – they couldn’t get drivers, they were having difficulties getting products picked in warehouses and that sort of thing.

“And of course we’ve got roaring inflation – the price thing is something that has always been an issue but the supply seems to have now seems to be sorted. We’re now getting the products we want from all of our supply base now. The cold chain, like meat suppliers, were having difficulty in their factories but I’m hearing less issues of that in the last few months.

“And maybe if we are entering recession and there are layoffs in other industries, the food industry tends to be bolstered at that time, because I can’t get a job in a hotel, but I can get a job in a meat factory or a processing plant. So labour shortages in our industry hopefully are easing.”

Energy costs

However energy costs have become a huge problem for everyone, he says.

“You just have to go into your local convenience store or your big supermarket and have a look at the fridges that they operate. Those fridges are operating 24/7 and they can’t be turned off, they can’t be turned down, they can’t be turned up. They’re a constant cost,” he says.

“We were paying 11p-12p a unit for electricity 12 -14 months ago and now we’re looking at 30p-35p going into the winter. It’s a threefold increase or more and there’s going to be more come January. That’s a set cost for all these stores and there’s really very little they can do about it.

“And of course people with oil heating or any form of heating in their stores are going to face a really bleak winter – I think we all know that.”

While many retailers have been turning to alternative options such as solar or to making efficiencies with measures such as installing fridges with doors, that can mean a sizable capital investment, Jonathan says.

“The ones who can afford to make those changes will do it, the ones who  can’t, I don’t know. It’s going to be tough,” he says.

“It’s not an optimistic time for any energy-heavy business, which we are. We’re energy heavy and we’re labour heavy. There isn’t a member of staff that doesn’t need an increase in their wages to cover inflation and we tend not to have too many members of staff that we don’t need.

“So again we’re facing increased operating costs and we’ve got a new Prime Minister who will have a lot of problems ahead of her and we’re all hoping there’s some sort of relief system to be announced.”

To read the full 25-page Special Feature on Food Force Ireland’s Trade Day, click HERE.

The post Retailers facing unprecedented pressures: Food Force Ireland Jonathan Crawford first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Plenty of store-owners still subscribe to the ‘square box’ school of thought when it comes to store design, but even they may be having a rethink since bringing in their pandemic restrictions.

Store-owners were bringing in one-way systems to protect their customers and staff, but all of a sudden they were incidentally discovering that customers now visited every part of the premises and purchasing from those areas.

So if you’ve discovered the difference those changes made to your bottom line – who knows, your next revamp could involve tapping into the psychology of the customer to make sure they don’t miss out on a single thing.

It’s a well-known fact that people will naturally look left first and then right as they enter a shop – and that they prefer to move right and travel anti-clockwise around the store.

But while that is useful to know, there’s a lot more you can do to influence customer behaviour in your store, including using the decor to create subconscious cues and arrows that will lead them.

Customer flow

Shopify merchant Alexis Damen suggests starting off by taking a look at how customers are currently using your space. To monitor the customer flow, you can observe the number of people who come into your store, analyse your purchase data and make use of any CCTV footage to create a time-lapse video that will give a useful picture of how customers are moving about and which areas of the shop are well-used or not visited at all.

“Your store layout should help you achieve your retail merchandising goals by guiding customers through the store and exposing them to your products, all while managing important stimuli that encourage purchasing behaviours. How people experience your store is a big part of your brand and needs to be as carefully crafted as other aspects of your business,” she says.

But before you even get to what’s happening inside your store, you first need to take a look at the exterior – you can have the best layout in the world, but if the siting of your store is deterring passing trade, you’re already losing a large potential customer base.

High impact

Ashley Lamont, Director of Whittaker + Watt Architects, says that creating a high impact and strong kerbside appeal should be at the forefront of all good retail designs. This approach creates a footfall generator that will last throughout the lifespan of the business.

Whittaker + Watt Architects have developed a five stage process, starting with analysing the local competition in the surrounding area, investigating the potential demographic of the area, examining how to create good kerbside appeal, a method to slow the customers down once they are inside the shop and psychologically planning a shopping route using effective interior design cues. Employing these design techniques will lay the foundations for a very strong retail business.

“First time passing customer opportunities only arise if the retail offering is highly visible from the adjoining road network,” Ashley explains. 

“We analyse the speed of the vehicles passing the retail site and tailor our façade designs to maximise impulse thinking time for the customer.

Passing trade

“Ideally if we can make the retail offering visible within the 5-7 seconds window, you have the strong possibility of attracting passing customers to use the retail site.

“A large element of the site analysis is about the positioning of the building in the correct location, while also using cues like totem signs and LED light technology to improve the visibility of the retail site.”

Craig’s Costcutters in Derry / Londonderry was a perfect example of a store located on a fast flowing 60mph dual carriageway. The building design had to attract the customer’s attention beneath the 5-7 second rule, and therefore needed to grab customers attention at the earliest opportunity.

“To achieve this, the facade design had to be striking – the use of glass, bespoke cladding and LED lighting technology created the best opportunity for customer thinking time, and as a result traffic would slow down and pull into the site,” Ashley says.

“You really only get one chance to try to attract a new passing customer. Existing customers who enjoy the shopping experience will hopefully return time and time again – however, to build a retail business you’re always focused on trying to attract new customers. This is when kerbside appeal becomes a fundamental element of good design.

“We believe an attractive and creatively designed retail building will unlock a site’s potential and forms an integral part of the lifelong footfall driver for that business.”

Widening the catchment

Ashley says that the design techniques that Whittaker + Watt Architects employed at the Creighton’s Balmoral site confirmed that it is possible to attract customers from a wider catchment area.

“The position of the building on the site was pivotal in trying to create a vibrant kerbside appeal, and the use of glass, cladding and LED lighting technology gives a strong impression that the store is always open and trading, ready for business,” he says.

“We have witnessed good design generating upwards of a 80% boost to trade that previously was thought not available on that road network. This was a strong indication that our design ethos was actually working.” 

Having successfully attracted a customer into the retail site, we then flip our attention to customer experience, and we do this using high quality interior designs.

“We use our interior designs to do two things – one is to create a point of interest which slows the customer down and in doing so inside the retail shop, provides more impulse purchase opportunities which in turn increases the basket spend,” Ashley says.

 Psychological direction

“The other technique we employ is psychological direction of the customer in a predetermined path around the shop. We create this shopping journey through good interior design and directional cues within the shop and that’s proven to be very successful by allowing the customer to have the best opportunity to view all of the products on sale.

“We use material selection, signage, ceiling features, floor finishes and lighting to effectively cause the customer to pause upon entering the shop. This is achieved with high impact design and forms the basis of good first impression upon entering inside of the store.

“If you create the high impact, you automatically slow the customer down. Using lighting and interior design cues like feature ceilings, the choice of materials, the colour of materials you’re using, you can direct a customer on your predetermined route round the shop and they’ll be completely unaware of why they’ve chosen that route.”

One example is the recently completed McBride’s Lakeside in Enniskillen.

“Peter McBride wanted it to appeal particularly to a younger demographic, so we employed modern interior design techniques here – we’ve framed out the deli using striking branded colours, we’ve framed out the checkouts, we’ve quirky geometric patterns on the floors and we’ve got striking LED lighting placed around the shop,” Ashley says.

“Almost every corner you turn inside the shop, there’s a point of interest, and that’s the technique we use to slow the customer down, so that as they turn the corner they have to take a second to pause, creating better opportunities for a purchase.

 Shortcuts

If you stand at the entrance of a poorly designed shop, Ashley says, you will inevitably see 80% of the customers coming in with a clear idea of what they’ve come to buy – and short cutting the shop for that item.

“They shop on their own predetermined route, so you see a very segmented approach to the shopping journey, with people dispersing around the shop going to look for that one particular item.

“You would tend to find that these customers typically have a low basket spend, and that is a direct correlation between allowing them to choose their own journey around the shop vs a predetermined shopping route created using good interior design to help increase the basket spend opportunity.

“There are times when our design approach has to change – for example Green Foodfare in Lisburn. The objective by way of good interior design was to create an interior that was respectful to the long standing trading history of the shop.

“The business has been trading since the late 1800s and our focus was on creating an environment where customers young and old could enjoy a shopping destination like no other.

New materials

“The choice of materials, lighting and signage was extremely important to appeal to far reaching customers 30 miles plus from the site. You can only create such an attraction through creative and sympatric design that is respectful to the past while appealing to current and future customer base.

“We’re definitely seeing vast improvements in terms of lighting technology, the shapes of lights, the various different styles of lights that are available – as well as the wide range of material choices,” he says.

“You’ve got fantastic shopfitting techniques which are allowing us to push the boundaries of interior design. Basically we generate 3D models and virtual reality walk-throughs of the shop interiors, which not only help our clients visualise the design but aid the manufacturing process. With the advance of CNC manufacturing technology, we can have the interiors manufactured to replicate what was once only possible in a 3D world. 

Such design techniques have improved the customer shopping experiences and delivered businesses with a competitive edge over their rivals. With improved trip generation and increased basket spend, good retail architecture and interior design has secured its place within the retail sector.

To read the full feature, visit Neighbourhood Retailer magazine HERE.

The post Perfect your design – and the footfall will follow first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Unveiling plans for this year’s show in partnership with Ulster Bank, the Ulster Agricultural Society said it would return to how it was in 2019, able to accommodate crowds of 120,000 over four days.

From Wednesday, May 11 to Saturday May 14, there’s something for everyone on offer at Balmoral Park, Lisburn; be it  prize-winning livestock, an unrivalled array of trade stands, the always mouth-watering NI Food Pavilion as well as a host of family entertainment and attractions.

Operations director Rhonda Geary said: “We are delighted to welcome visitors back to Balmoral Park this May for the 2022 Show.

“Last year we ran the event in September – however we are thrilled to be returning to our usual May date, kicking off the showing season here in Northern Ireland.”

Top class attractions

This year’s show will also see the return of a number of top-class attractions, including a full schedule of Show Jumping classes including the return of International Show Jumping as well as the return of sheep classes.

Also returning to the Main Arena will be the RAF Parachute team and Polo Exhibition, while a special performance from a Military Band and an exciting Dog Display are sure to be among the highlights.

Family favourites back in the mix include the Children’s Farm, Downtown Show Stage, Healthy Horticulture Area and BBC Roadshow as well as many mobile family attractions at the showgrounds. And tThis year, the RUAS will also be marking the Queens Platinum Jubilee with a number of special activities across all four days.

Fun filled day out

Rhonda added: ‘‘We cannot wait to bring Balmoral back for 2022 and as always, the Show promises to be a fun-filled day out, with so much to see and do.  Whether you’re looking for a family fun, fantastic food or the chance to view exceptional livestock, it’s all in the Show!

‘‘We would like to thank our sponsors for their continued support, especially our principal sponsor Ulster Bank and our platinum sponsors ABP, Marks & Spencer’s, SPAR and TESCO.”

Mark Crimmins, regional managing director of Ulster Bank NI, said the return of a full-scale Balmoral Show in 2022 is testament to the resilience of Northern Ireland’s farming community.

“The Balmoral Show in partnership with Ulster Bank continues to be the leading event in the Northern Ireland agricultural calendar and after last year’s hybrid show, there will be a huge appetite to see the return of a full-scale event.” he said.

“We have supported the RUAS as principal sponsor of the Show since 2009 and are proud to play a role in its continued success. This sponsorship reflects Ulster Bank’s broader commitment to the local agri-food sector and while we know there are many challenges facing the industry, there are also a lot of opportunities.

Vibrant sector

“Our message to farmers and producers is that we are here to help you maximise these and have the people and expertise to support your goals. We look forward to returning to Balmoral Park and catching up with our customers and friends from across the industry to celebrate all that this important, vibrant sector continues to achieve.”

Platinum Sponsors return to drive success

Of course no Balmoral Show can succeed without the support of its commercial partners and the 153^rd incarnation of the event welcomes back the its four main Platinum Sponsors; ABP, M&S, SPAR and Tesco.

Hailing their return Royal Ulster Agricultural Society Operations Director Rhonda Geary said: “We would like to thank our platinum sponsors for their continued support of Northern Ireland’s largest agri-food event.

“We are delighted to see the return of the 153^rd Show back to its usual date in May and once again, we are set to have four jam-packed days of family fun.”

The Balmoral Show in partnership with Ulster Bank will return to Balmoral Park from Wednesday 11^th May to Saturday 14^th May 2022. All tickets must be purchased online by clicking here

Pictured at the Balmoral Show launch are George Mullan from ABP, Bronagh Luke from SPAR, Tracey Lowry from M&S, and Michael Crealey from Tesco.

Food Pavilion a treat for the tastebuds

With countless displays and a feast of live music and entertainment, this year’s Balmoral Show promises a feast for the eyes and ears… but fear not. the tastebuds will not be forgotten with an even bigger and better Food Pavilion showcasing the best of local produce.

Visitors over any of the four days can sample a huge range of delicious and original food and drink from a range of local artisan companies from across the country.

Organised by promotional body Food NI, and supported by the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme, and Tourism NI, this year’s NI Food and Drink Pavilion will host the biggest celebration of the outstanding tastes and rich flavours from local companies, including many which have won top awards for originality and quality in top national and international food challenges.

Award-winning products

Accolades bagged by some of those who will be showcasing their products include UK Great Taste Awards, Blas na hEireann Irish National Food Awards, UK Food and Drink Quality Awards and the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards.

A host of local companies including the likes of Milgro, Glastry Farm Ice Cream, Erin Grove, Natural Umber and Irish Black Butter will be  selling their products with the NI Food and Drink Experience Kitchen, supported by Tourism NI, providing the perfect platform to the best producers and foodie experiences from across Northern Ireland.

The Food NI Food Pavilion is always one of the most popular attractions at the Balmoral Show and provides opportunities for visitors to meet producers and learn how they hand craft the food and drink to ensure consistent quality and memorable flavours.

Rural communities

Virtually every sector in this vibrant industry, Northern Ireland’s largest single manufacturer and the only industry represented in every community, especially rural areas, will be featured in the pavilion. It’s an industry which generates over £5 billion annually to the local economy and contributes particularly to the wellbeing of rural communities.

Food and drink products from local companies are now exported to over 60 global markets such as the Republic of Ireland, other parts of the EU, as well as the US, Middle East and Asia.

Food NI Chief Executive Michele Shirlow said: “The Food Pavilion always been one of the most popular presentations at a show which draws visitors from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and further afield.

“Food writers and journalists we’ve worked with from outside Northern Ireland have always been impressed by the overall showcase and talented producers.”

All you need to know before visiting the Show

• The Balmoral Show 2022 takes place from May 11 to Saturday, May 14 at Balmoral Park near Lisburn in Co. Antrim.
• The major sponsor is Ulster Bank, and the platinum sponsors are ABP Group, Marks & Spencer’s, SPAR and TESCO.
• Around 120,000 farmers, agribusiness personnel and urban consumers from Northern Ireland, the west of Scotland and the Republic usually visit the show.
• Balmoral Park has over 4,000 car parking spaces available, including designated parking for blue badge holders on a first-come, first-served basis. Car parking is £10 per car.
• The show is located just four miles from Lisburn Train Station, which is regularly serviced from Belfast and Dublin
• There is a free and frequent bus service from Lisburn railway station to/from the show.
• If you are aged 60 or over or have a disability, you can access free travel on bus and railways within N. Ireland.
• All show tickets must be purchased online and will not be available at the gate. You can purchase tickets online on any show days, even from the car park.
• Early bird tickets are available until Tuesday, May 10^th. These cost £22.50 for adults and £17 for seniors. Tickets on the day cost £24.00 for adults and £18 for seniors. Children under five & RUAS members are free. You can find more information via this link.

To read the full preview in Neighbourhood Retailer, click HERE.

The post Balmoral Show back with a bang for 2022 first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

It’s been the second tough year in a row with no sign of the pandemic disappearing any time soon, but that’s no reason to despair.

In fact, with grocery stores on the frontline when it comes to providing comfort and joy for homebound consumers over the past couple of years, Christmas 2021 will be no exception.

This time last year we were all facing another lockdown and non-essential retail and hospitality businesses were having to shutter their doors all over again, yet the grocery sector was about to prove surprisingly buoyant.

This Christmas grocery retailers will be hoping to emulate the Covid bump that we saw last year, which saw growth in the Northern Irish grocery market accelerate to 12.9% in the 52 weeks to December 27 2020.

Meanwhile, the lead up to Christmas proved unusually busy, with sales surging by 14.8% in the 12 weeks to December 27 as families navigated constantly changing restrictions and turned to the supermarket to provide some sorely needed festive cheer.

Store cupboard snacks

Over the next month or so, consumers will be seeking out extra comfort during the festive season and finding pleasure in the innocent delights of the selection box.

Last year sales of treats like ice cream, crisps, chocolate, sweets and nuts all surged in the run-up to Christmas, and we can expect a similar pattern this year – Halloween have shown us the shape of things to come with sales of confectionery growing by 5.4%.

Many retailers are reporting brisk sales a little earlier than usual as shoppers stock up ahead of time on store-cupboard treats like boxes of biscuits and tubs of chocolates.

“Everyone’s anxious about the ongoing pandemic and potential lockdown, so we’ve found it’s definitely affected shopping habits and seen a lot of customers stocking up early on key lines,” says Emma Rice, marketing manager at Springisland Supermarket in Coalisland.

Meanwhile, Kieran Sloan, managing director of Sawers Belfast, says the Christmas rush came earlier this year.

“We’re seeing a different trend. Usually in October people are going around browsing, but this time they are browsing and buying, so we’ve had to up our orders,” he says.

Festive feasts

Last year, with the Christmas restrictions on family gatherings, there were fewer seats round the table and that had a definite impact on the big Christmas dinner menu, with sales of turkey declining by 1.4%, according to Kantar.

The company also reported that sales of lamb were down by 12.8% and roast beef sales dropped by 0.3%.

But with fewer signs of last-minute restrictions in sight this time round, it seems unlikely that this year will replicate that pattern, and we can expect families who missed out on their traditional Christmas last year to splash out on the big roast and all the trimmings, especially as the very welcome Spend Local cards arrived just in time to invest in the Christmas meat package deals at our high street butchers’ shops.

In fact, with most people staying put instead of jetting off elsewhere, we can expect increases in the big Christmas feasts, the foods that typically fill our plates, along with the drinks and snacks we munch on into the evening time.

According to polls, roast potatoes are consumers’ favourite savoury Christmas food, followed by traditional turkey. Yorkshire puddings, pigs in blankets and stuffing are also hugely popular, while most would happily leave cranberry sauce and Brussels sprouts off their plates.

Yuletide cheer

Christmas often has a double pronged approach to indulgence, with families curling up on the sofa to feast on chocolates from a tub while revellers head to the pub to toast the season.

While some hospitality restrictions have returned, we’ll still be seeing office parties and Christmas nights out, but we can still expect to see plenty of customers recreating the party atmosphere at home.

Last Christmas, with the closure of bars and restaurants, alcohol was top of the shopping list, with sales growing up 36.7% to add £100 million to the total market, and as we grow more accustomed to the new normal, we can expect lots of clinking of glasses around the fire.

We can also expect to see an increase in demand for alcohol-free alternatives, with consumption expected to grow 31% by 2024, according to the IWSR.

Over 2019/20, the no/low spirits category increased volume sales by +32.7%, and it is this segment that the IWSR expects to grow most rapidly from 2020 to 2024, with a CAGR of 14%. There are enticing new products coming onto the market all the time, from zero Guinness to light new gin alternatives.

Indulgent treats

When it comes to sweet treats, it’s mince pies, Christmas cake, Christmas pudding and classic trifle that are consumers’ favourites.

We can also expect to see lots of that party food coming home as well, with customers alternating the big roasts and feasts with simple and festive treats, such as the ever popular cocktail sausages, mini sausage rolls, mini quiches, mince pies, garlic mushrooms, cheese platters and chicken goujons that prove ever popular.

Remedies

Sales of over the counter medicines are expected to increase as shoppers aim to stay well over the festive period.

Consumers will stock up on heartburn and indigestion remedies in a bid to beat the inevitable overindulgence and they’ll also look to painkillers to help soothe any hungover heads or aches and pains.

We’re already seeing people focusing firmly on their health, with remedies for coughs and colds rising in October thanks to more mixing and socialising and a rise in seasonal bugs.

Sales of flu treatments soared by 56% and cough lozenges by 36% respectively in October.

The post Glimmerings of cheer – what’s set to be popular this Christmas? first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.