Checkout Scotland offers industry colleagues a day of live music, DJs, food and fun – and promises to raise awareness of GroceryAid’s work north of the border to an entirely new level.
by Antony Begley
GroceryAid Scotland has announced the launch of what will be the largest event in the Scottish local retailing sector this year with a new music-based celebration in September. Checkout Scotland will be a musical celebration of our industry and a unique opportunity for the trade to gather and recognise their colleagues’ efforts during the Covid crisis while supporting our industry charity.
Due to be held on the 1st September in Glasgow, the event will see upwards of 700 convenience and grocery industry colleagues gather for a day of live music, DJs, food and fun.
Checkout Scotland will celebrate an industry that has shone during the pandemic, serving communities across the country with passion and energy. Critically, the event will also help raise awareness of the GroceryAid charity and the life-changing work it does for industry colleagues in need of a little help.
Vital help
Having served on the GroceryAid Scotland committee for many years myself, it’s fair to say that awareness levels of GroceryAid and the support it can offer are particularly low in Scotland, especially in the local retailing sector. For a range of historic reasons, GroceryAid has been viewed by local retailers in Scotland as a southern-based charity that focuses predominantly on the grocery channel.
The fact is that GroceryAid supports everyone in the food and drink retail sector and supply chain and that very much includes convenience retailers and their teams and families.
The charity is also very active in Scotland and supports many colleagues in Scotland who have fallen on tough times. After the last couple of years, it’s no surprise that the number of people seeking emotional and financial support from GroceryAid has skyrocketed – which is why it’s so important to get behind this new Checkout Scotland celebration.
I would urge you to make sure that all your colleagues are aware of the support that’s available if they need it. There’s no shame in needing a little help now and again. We all do.
And besides helping raise awareness and being a fantastic day out, the Scottish committee is also hoping to raise some much-needed funds that will then be used to support even more industry colleagues in need in Scotland.
Musical spectacular
So what exactly is Checkout Scotland? Well, it’s a musical celebration of our entire industry and it’s a great opportunity to have a day away from the store, possibly with a few colleagues. The Scottish committee is currently busy working on securing what we are sure will be an exciting line-up of acts including live bands and performers, DJs and more – all with a strong Scottish theme.
The event is being managed by Alasdair Fowle, former Head of Partnerships and Events at the Co-op. There he pioneered some of the largest partnerships and events in UK retail including Co-op Live, which will be the UK’s largest music arena opening in December 2023. He also helped organise nine music festival partnerships with festivals such as Glastonbury, Leeds and Reading. He even helped open a Co-op store on Coronation Street!
Producers and suppliers have already been exceptionally supportive with AG Barr already confirmed as Headline Sponsor and Tennent’s signed up as Main Bar Sponsor. Several other major sponsors have also confirmed including BrewDog, Snappy Shopper, Highland Spring, Warburtons, Bobby’s Foods and JW Filshill.
Many more sponsors will be announced in the near future, and many of the available tickets have already been sold – so if you want to join us for an outstanding day, book your tickets now.
Revitalised charity
The GroceryAid charity has been revitalised beyond recognition in the last few years under Chief Executive Steve Barnes, who has breathed new life and energy into the charity and made it relevant, effective and driven in a very short space of time.
Credit for the revitalisation of GroceryAid Scotland must go to Joint Chairs Peter Steel, ex-McCurrach, and Jim Harper of One O One Convenience Stores. Similarly, they have reinvented the Scottish Committee, bringing on around 25 new Committee members from across the convenience retailing and grocery channels in Scotland and driving new events, new initiatives and record-breaking fundraising achievements.
Checkout Scotland, however, promises to take GroceryAid Scotland to an entirely new level in terms of awareness. It’s more important than ever that as many of our industry colleagues as possible are aware of the invaluable emotional and financial support available to them should they fall on tough times. Checkout Scotland will go a long way to giving GroceryAid Scotland the profile and awareness it needs if it is to help as many colleagues in Scotland as possible.
Peter Steel commented: “The initial response from the trade has been simply fantastic. We have already signed up a brilliant list of partners for the event and all in a very short space of time. We have had support from all corners of the industry and that’s a reflection of how committed our industry is to helping us help our colleagues who need a little support. I’d like to thank all the businesses who have already signed up as well as the entire Scottish committee who give their time so generously to the charity and finally the central team at GroceryAid who have backed us all the way.”
Jim Harper added: “We have a wonderful committee of volunteers representing over 20 businesses across the Scottish trade. Our main aim is to spread awareness of the support the charity offers to all colleagues in the industry, whether that is the free confidential helpline or the provision of financial support in the form of one-off non-repayable grants.
“The need for the support that GroceryAid offers has never been greater following the Covid crisis and the more recent increases in the cost of living. We know that there are too many colleagues working in the trade who are not aware of all the help they can access. We want to change that by really generating some noise this year and Checkout Scotland is a key element of our plan.”
Checkout Scotland promises to be a day like there’s never been for our industry in Scotland so why not buy a few tickets now and secure your place? Bring some colleagues along and treat to them to a well-earned day off.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible there.
Priced at only £60, tickets are going fast. Book yours now!
To discuss sponsoring the event, please contact GroceryAid Scotland’s Joint Chair Peter Steel.
