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Trade association welcomes Home Office ‘back-to-basics’ retail crime promise

13 Sep 2023

The recent pledge by police forces across England and Wales to pursue every lead that holds a reasonable chance of apprehending criminals and solving crimes has been welcomed by Bira, which... Read more…

Hidden basement bar in Liverpool named 'best vegan restaurant' in Britain

12 Sep 2023

A family-run Liverpool restaurant hidden inside a basement is officially Britain's best vegan venue.
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Shoplifters working in organised groups targeting shops with co-ordinated raids

11 Sep 2023

A warning has been issued that shoplifters in the UK are becoming increasingly “emboldened” and appear to be often orchestrated by organised criminal groups, which steal to order,... Read more…

Shops urged to prepare for single-use plastics ban coming into force on 1 October

11 Sep 2023

It has been suggested that some shop owners may be unaware or unprepared for the upcoming change to regulations on single-use plastics on plates, bowls, trays, containers, cutlery and balloon... Read more…

National Lottery retailers urged to transfer retail agreement to new operator.

30 Aug 2023

Allwyn, incoming operator of The National Lottery, has urged independent National Lottery retailers to log on to its new online retailer portal via Read more…

Retailers sceptical about Home Secretary’s call for ‘every theft’ to be investigated.

30 Aug 2023

Shop owners have expressed scepticism that the Home Secretary's recent call for every theft to be investigated by the police will come to fruition, suggesting that police resources are already... Read more…

Consumer confidence shows ‘renewed optimism’ against falling core inflation

29 Aug 2023

Consumer confidence is showing “renewed optimism” against a backdrop of falling core inflation, new figures suggest.
 
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Coventry shop owners launch street market to bring more people into the area

29 Aug 2023

Shop owners in a part of Coventry have rallied together to launch a street market, with hopes of boosting the number of people that visit the area.
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Indies drinks retailers short-changed in government duty consultation

16 Aug 2023

Independent quality drinks retailers were woefully underrepresented among those consulted by government over the duty changes now hitting businesses, it has been claimed, after industry magazine... Read more…

Online bookshop hits £3 million for independent sellers

16 Aug 2023

Online bookshop Bookshop.org has reached its target of raising £3 million in profit for independent booksellers in its fight for them to “thrive in the world of ecommerce”.
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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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