WKD - Neighbourhood Retailer

Consumer goods giant SHS ups profits to £17.8m

Linda Stewart — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:55:00 +0000

Grocery giant SHS Group increased its profits to £17.8 million last year despite a drop in sales.

Northern Ireland’s largest food and household goods business, established in 1975 by the Salters and Sloan families, said its trading year had been “incredibly challenging” as it navigated the pandemic, the continued fall-out from Brexit, and supply chain pressures.

Its turnover for the year slipped back from £655.6 million to £641.4 million.

Gross margin, a key performance indicator for the group, was 15 per cent during the period compared to 16 per cent a year earlier.

Staff numbers in 2021 increased from 1,210 to 1,271, leading to its wages bill jumping from £50.5m to £58.2m.

The seven directors at SHS were paid a combined £2,614,846 (up from £2,400,271 previously).

The highest paid of them, understood to be award-winning chief executive Elaine Birchall, had a package of £1,272,216, which is one of the biggest private sector salaries paid to any boss in the north.

A dividend of £9m was also paid to the controlling families.

SHS Group owns brands including WKD, Shloer, bottlegreen, Merrydown Cider, Crucial Sauces, Zip & Sunny Jim firelighters and Maguire & Paterson matches, and it also distributes brands including Jordans, Ryvita, Pot Noodle, Finish, Mars Drinks and Colgate.

It is also a market leader in the supply of own label herbs and spices in Britain and manufactures branded and private label condiments and sauces.

In May, founder Dr Joe Sloan stepped away from his day to day role in the company to become honorary president, with Karen Salters taking on the role of group chair.

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CBI appoints SHS chief Elaine Birchall as regional chair

Linda Stewart — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 11:23:40 +0000

SHS chief executive Elaine Birchall is taking over as chair of CBI Northern Ireland.

She succeeds banker Adrian Doran, who will now assume the post of vice-chair until the end of this year.

Elaine joined SHS Group as chief executive in 2015 and has overseen a growth in turnover to £655 million, with the group now employing more than 1,200 people in the UK and Ireland.

SHS distributes a wide portfolio of consumer brands, including Shloer, WKD, Sunny Jim, bottlegreen and Meridian.

Before joining the consumer goods giant, Elaine held management and leadership roles in Europe, the USA and South Pacific for Colgate Palmolive.

She previously led PZ Cussons UK as managing director and managed operations in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya as area director for PZ Cussons Africa.

Elaine has served as CBI NI vice chair since January 2021 and formerly held a three-year term as a member of the CBI Northern Ireland Council. A board member of Business in the Community, in 2018 she claimed the Outstanding Business Woman of the Year accolade at the NI Women in Business Awards.

In June last year, Elaine was awarded an MBE as part of the Queen’s birthday honours list for services to economic development in Northern Ireland.

CBI NI director Angela McGowan said: “A massive congratulations to Elaine. She brings an abundance of professional experience at such a critical time for local businesses – who are looking to lift their gaze beyond the pandemic, move beyond the cost-of-living crisis, and ensure lasting economy recovery takes hold.

“Elaine’s experience in diverse international markets and strong member insight will be invaluable in the CBI’s mission to represent the views of businesses of all shapes and sizes to policy-makers.

“I also express our sincere gratitude to Adrian Doran for his leadership over the past two and a half years. As we navigate one of the most challenging periods in memory, his thoughtfulness, wisdom and verve have been essential.”

Elaine Birchall said: “There is such a wealth of talent, and enterprise in Northern Ireland and, by speaking with one voice, businesses can continue to optimise and influence outcomes for our society. I am committed to ensuring CBI continues to play an integral role in creating a thriving economy to benefit everyone.

“Throughout the pandemic, the CBI has led the way in terms of working with business and government to support companies.

“We will continue to act as an agent of change as we look at investment in innovation, skills and sustainability. These are the foundations on which we can build a competitive, dynamic, future-focused Northern Ireland economy for the decade ahead.”

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SHS Group announces Dr Joe Sloan as Honorary President and Karen Salters as Group Chair

Linda Stewart — Mon, 30 May 2022 08:36:03 +0000

SHS Group, employing over 1,200 people in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector with a turnover of over £640 million, has announced the appointment of Dr Joe Sloan as Honorary President and Karen Salters as Group Chair.

Discussing the appointments Dr Joe Sloan said: “I had the privilege of guiding SHS Group, alongside my business partner the late Geoff Salters, from its inception as a traditional family-run sales and marketing company, to a multinational operation with an enviable range of owned and agency brands, alongside our private label offering. I announced that I was stepping down from the role of Group Chairman and retiring from the Group Board. I have been appointed Honorary President of SHS Group which is a real privilege. I would like to thank the Group Board for their support and wish Karen well in her role as Chair.”

Karen Salters will take over as Group Chair, working closely with SHS Group CEO Elaine Birchall to fulfil the Group’s Vision 25 ambitions. Karen has worked across the Group for over 27 years within the Drinks Division as Marketing Director and Joint Managing Director. She has been a Group Director and member of the board for over a decade, as well as representing the Group and SHS Drinks on trade body networks.

SHS Group owns brands such as WKD, Shloer, bottlegreen, Merrydown Cider, Meridian nut butters, Rocks squash drinks, Crucial Sauces, Zip & Sunny Jim firelighters and Maguire & Paterson matches.

It also distributes brands including Jordans, Ryvita, Pot Noodle, Finish, Mars Drinks and Colgate, is a market leader in the supply of own label herbs and spices in Great Britain and manufactures branded and private label condiments and sauces.

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WKD partners with Love Island for a second year

Linda Stewart — Wed, 25 May 2022 14:11:53 +0000

WKD – Northern Ireland’s no.1 RTD – is getting its suitcase from the loft and checking its passport in advance of a return trip to TV’s Love Island.

With brand owner SHS Drinks announcing it has struck an exclusive deal for WKD to be the Official Alcohol Partner of Love Island series 8, a major summer campaign of support for the UK’s favourite RTD will amplify the association with the hit ITV2 show.

Love Island is a relationship-based reality show featuring a cast of singles hoping to find love in the sun and win the hearts of the nation. The programme format has transcended from TV show to cultural phenomenon over recent years and the 2022 partnership will provide WKD with extensive co-branded opportunities and form the focal point for the brand’s marketing support this year.

Love Island series 8 will air across the summer. Comprehensive plans to leverage WKD’s Official Partner status and maximise the tie-in will comprise broadcast media, co-branded pack designs, on-pack promotions, cash and carry displays and wholesaler activation, and a huge social, digital and influencer campaign, including exclusive WKD-themed content featuring Islanders.

Meanwhile, a Love Island promotion as part of an activation in pubs and bars will feature for the first time this year as an additional strand of the campaign, further increasing awareness amongst convenience shoppers.

The 2022 association marks the second consecutive year that WKD has partnered with Love Island; last year’s link-up was so positively received by consumers and customers alike that a further deal for 2022 was sought. Last year’s series was 2021’s most-watched commercial programme for 18 to 25-year-olds (the WKD core target); the series achieved an average of 4.2m total UK viewers per episode; at its peak, 11k programme-related tweets per minute were posted.

The high-profile tie-in will see WKD on TV with ads showcasing the programme association. Airing across ITV2, ITV Hub, video-on-demand (VOD) and the official Love Island app, the broadcast elements of the campaign will reach 7.2m UK viewers.

Bringing the partnership to life at the point of purchase and generating rate of sale for stockists, two impactful co-branded initiatives will cement the sponsorship association in the eyes of the consumer:

A striking co-branded design will appear on limited edition WKD Pink 700ml bottles. Complemented by contrasting campaign-themed gold cap closures, the fully sleeved special edition bottles are set to be the summer’s ‘must-have’ item for fans of the show and WKD. SHS anticipates huge interest amongst shoppers keen to hunt down these Instagrammable bottles which are perfect for sharing either on social media or in a poured glass.
Featuring a standout design inspired by the iconic Love Island Beach Hut, a co-branded offer on all WKD 10-packs and 12-packs will create opportunities to win exclusive Love Island merchandise, including tote bags, phone cases and the show’s legendary personalised water bottles.

Exclusively in Northern Ireland, a ‘Win a Window’ activity will engage consumers and drive sales. With a QR code entry mechanic, purchasers of WKD can win the bundle of Love Island and WKD goodies featured in participating stores’ window displays. The prize packages will include co-branded cool-bags and glassware, plus WKD inflatables, bucket-hats and sunglasses.

Social media highlights

Love Island viewers have an insatiable hunger for information and gossip about the show and participants, and WKD has a range of UK-wide initiatives to satisfy their needs:

A WKD takeover of the Love Island app will engage with over 2m active users⁴
A vast social media campaign will reach 7m consumers
WKD will have special on-set access to film branded Love Island content
Islanders will take part in #YourWKDSide activities in the Beach Hut
WKD will feature on Love Island’s Instagram accounts, reaching 3m followers

Brendan Loughran, Head of Business Unit (Ireland) at SHS Drinks, says: “We’re really proud to be linking with Love Island for a second time; we’re the perfect couple and just meant to be together! The programme is a TV phenomenon with huge reach and fans can’t get enough of it. In a fragmented media landscape, the continued success of Love Island highlights just how much our target consumers still relish a shared media experience. Last year, Love Island attracted three times more all-important 18-25 viewers than other similar programme formats.

“Consumer and trade feedback was extremely positive last year and we’re back with an all-inclusive package deal that’s even bigger and better. Consumers in Northern Ireland are going to see WKD and Love Island brands partnered up on TV, partnered up on-shelf, partnered up in retailers’ impactful window displays and partnered up on social media.

In addition, this year we’ll be filming exclusive WKD content on location in the sun and also setting Islanders some of our very own cheeky ‘YourWKDSide’ challenges. As 2022’s winning couple, WKD and Love Island are going to serve up some sizzling summer fun to entertain, engage and engender sales growth.”

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New-style alcoholic drink from WKD offers something X-tra

Linda Stewart — Fri, 06 May 2022 15:28:48 +0000

In a bold initiative which draws inspiration from the energy drinks category, WKD is launching an alcoholic drink containing caffeine, guarana and taurine.

Debuting this month under the name WKD X, the innovative 7% ABV sub-brand launches in 500ml single cans in a duo of striking flavour variants: WKD X Blue and WKD X Gold.

With energy drinks the fastest-growing segment of the soft drinks category, owner SHS believes WKD is perfectly placed to bring a highly regarded brand to the fledgling ‘enhanced RTD’ category. Enhanced RTDs have grown +90% over the last two years and the launch of WKD X marks a step-change in the development of this new consumer category of high energy/higher ABV drinks.

Generation Z consumers know energy drinks are a convenient way to get their caffeine fix; the launch of WKD X draws on the soft drinks category’s success and presents a credible, supported alcoholic version to a receptive 18 to 24-year-old market.

Promotions in wholesalers and off-shelf features in-store will support the launch and a high-profile communications campaign will build consumer awareness.

Brendan Loughran, Head of Business Unit (Ireland) at SHS Drinks, says: “WKD is synonymous with delivering great flavours and even greater times. The brand has always been about delivering for different consumer needs across a spectrum of occasions, and WKD X takes our offering to another level.

“WKD X is where the WKD brand meets the lust for life; it’s an energetic fusion of the best of both. Consumers are well versed in mixing alcoholic drinks with energy drinks – what WKD X delivers is the convenience of a pre-mixed format from a brand consumers know and love. For wholesalers and retailers keen to focus on where incremental RTD growth will come from, WKD X marks the spot.”

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