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Small Business Strategy Inquiry 2025 - ACT and Bira call for members to share their voice

20 Jun 2025

The House of Commons Business and Trade Committee has asked the ACT, and its parent company Bira, to help them reach out to small business retailers across the country, for their quick input on... Read more…

Beyond the discount: Restoring integrity to the cycle supply chain

18 Jun 2025

The Association of Cycle Traders believes the time has come for greater accountability throughout our supply chain, writes ACT Director Jonathan Harrison in an article published for BikeBiz.
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Bira welcomes Wales' business rates proposals but calls for key improvements

11 Jun 2025

Bira has welcomed the Welsh Government's consultation on business rate reforms for retail shops, whilst calling for significant improvements to ensure the proposals truly support high street... Read more…

New awards launch to champion Britain's independent high street heroes

9 Jun 2025

Retailers on Britain's high streets are being encouraged to put themselves forward for the first-ever Love Your High Street Awards, designed to celebrate the small businesses that bring... Read more…

"Tectonic shift" in employment law threatens independent retailer viability, warns Bira podcast

6 Jun 2025

Independent retailers are facing a "generational" transformation of employment law that could fundamentally change how small businesses operate, according to the final episode of Bira's first... Read more…

Retailers hope warm weather and bank holidays will boost high street sales

16 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has said that members are hopeful the warm weather, Easter weekend and upcoming bank holidays will provide a much-needed boost to high street sales.
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Economic growth surges to 0.7%, but "April reality check" looms for high street retailers

15 May 2025

UK economy delivers strongest quarterly performance in a year despite forecasts of business downturn.
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Communities come together for Local Bike Shop Day 2025 celebrations

13 May 2025

Local Bike Shop Day 2025 brought a wave of... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira welcomes Bank of England's latest interest rate cut

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has welcomed the Bank of England's decision to reduce interest rates from 4.5% to 4.25%, calling it a "much-needed boost" for the retail sector, including for cycling... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira responds to Beales' "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" as iconic store makes final protest

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has responded to the news that the 144-year-old Beales department store is staging a "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" in its final weeks of trading, with giant yellow... Read more…

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Independent retailers look to loyalty schemes to keep up with supermarkets

Posted on in Business News

convenience storeIndependent retailers are racing to keep up with rivals and retain customers as the battle for loyalty intensifies among supermarkets.

Last month, Co-op announced it was following Tesco and Sainsbury’s by introducing lower prices exclusively for members of its loyalty programme. Last year, Tesco saw a huge uptake of its Clubcard, and Sainsbury’s recently refreshed its Nectar Prices scheme.

Speaking at the ACS Conference in Birmingham last week, PwC’s head of consumer markets, Lisa Hooker, urged convenience stores to prioritise delivering loyalty locally now, “to retain and engage customers” in a “difficult economic environment”.

Speaking to Better Retailing, Mandeep Singh, owner of Premier Singhs in Sheffield, introduced a coffee loyalty scheme in his store two years ago to compete with Tesco.

“Usually, we charge £1.49 for a coffee, but with the card it’s £1. We give away a barcoded card that we scan every time they make the purchase. We’ve gone from selling virtually zero cups a week to 700. It doesn’t have to be complex. Let someone else be first and adapt it yourself second.”

Mo Razzaq, owner of Premier Mo’s in Blantyre in Glasgow, is also in the process of relaunching his own scheme, which uses a QR code giving customers the chance to earn money off their shop every time it is scanned.

Several convenience specific programmes have been created in the past year by providers helping to give retailers a head start.

Ian Hepworth, Managing Director of Jisp Rewards, which launched last year, said:

“80% of UK shoppers now regularly use a smartphone loyalty rewards or voucher redemption service and this has been driven by the cost-of-living crisis placing greater stress on shoppers’ budgets, with consumers sighting rising grocery prices as the second biggest concern after energy costs.”

He added that programmes like this “help increase brand awareness, as customers are reminded of the retailer’s brand every time they use a card”.

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