As the pressure piles on retailers thanks to ever-rising costs, with increases to both the minimum wage and employers’ National Insurance contributions on the horizon, is now the time to choose a new symbol partner that could better help your business?
Premier is in a league of its own
Premier is the UK’s largest symbol group, with more than 4,700 stores across the UK. Around 500 of these stores are in Scotland, making it the biggest symbol operator in the country. Backed by Booker, the UK’s leading food & drink wholesaler, Scottish Premier retailers benefit from group exclusives with delivery at cash and carry prices and the convenience to top up at any of our 23 branches in Scotland to maximise availability.
Premier retailers benefit from a fantastic promotional programme covering all categories which is backed up by a comprehensive everyday low price offer. The Premier symbol group is designed to drive footfall and increase cash profit with our Mega Deals giving POR of over 15% and most of our core deals offering at least 20% POR. Our dedicated Scottish promotions each period also offer a real point of difference from the competition.
Premier is committed to helping Scottish retailers reduce costs and supporting both retailers & shoppers alike.
Key incentives include:
- Reducing energy consumption with efficient LED lighting, Beer Caves, Soft Drink Caves area and refrigeration units.
- Extending our spend and save scheme to include vape products, earning retailers up to 5% rebate.
- Linking up with Healthy Scotland to support communities and children across Scotland.
- Food donation points in store via Fareshare.
Scottish retailers have access to over 600 own-brand products through Jack’s and the Euro Shopper brands. Euro Shopper is our entry-level value range and Jack’s is part of the Tesco family and mid-tier. Both exclusive ranges come in PMPs and offer strong PORs.
Premier’s store development teams help design and implement our latest thinking in stores, including Soft Drinks walk-in refrigeration units, Beer Caves, Refresh Zones, £5 lunchtime ‘Mega Meal Deal’ and local Scottish Bakery line-ups, whilst ensuring stores are as energy efficient and sustainable as possible.
Some Scottish stores who have invested over £200k have seen this pay back within 12 months and Premier’s small store format model means that now any Scottish stores from 300sq ft+ can benefit from the Premier model.
Fit for the future with Londis
Londis has had a fantastic year of recruitment with almost 200 retailers joining the Londis joining the Londis family in 2024 alone. Londis now has over 2,400 members and almost three-quarters of our recruits have come from other symbol brands.
We are always looking to develop our own brand, offer the best possible value to shoppers and strong margins for our retailers.
Competition in the convenience sector is always strong and at Londis we are always on the lookout for ways to support our retailers by helping them to Make More or Save More on Added Value Services. Being part of a bigger group means we can offer more than most of our competitors with exclusive products and deals and our promotions remain some of the strongest in the sector.
We have continued to deliver the benefits of being part of a bigger group with more Group Exclusives, first to markets and NPD than ever before, keeping Londis retailers ahead of the game. We also offer initiatives such as free recycling and investing in our infrastructure. We continue to develop our exclusive added value service deals and innovate in the food- and drinks-to-go space.
Our promotions remain the best in the market and our margins some of the strongest. This, along with product innovation, means that Londis stores really stand out from the competition. Londis remains a zero-cost model which really helps and being part of a bigger group helps us stand out from the competition; we have a laser-like focus on putting the customer first.
The past year saw Londis launch our Store Of The Future, showcasing all our latest thinking including digital screens, new-look POS, a walk in alcohol chiller and merchandising efficiencies throughout the store.
We have added extra SKUs to our Jack’s range and also introduced more and bigger promotions to drive sales further including new key promotions on Chilled & Fresh lines to drive sales. We spend a lot of time ensuring the quality of our own-brand products, and investing time into our ranges for our customers.
The on-the-go mission is seeing continued growth this year and Londis retailers can access some great deals. Home delivery is definitely here to stay, and we continue to work with all our supplier partners to help our retailers tap into this market.
We are investing into technology within our business to continue to ensure we are fit for the future. To help our retailers, we have brokered exclusive deals with a number of ESEL companies with reduced charges, interest-free credit and extended warranties.
One of the biggest challenges over the past year has been inflation, rising costs and the continued cost of living crisis for consumers. We continue to work hard to ensure our offer remains the best in the market, and we support our retailers to be as competitive as possible.
We have developed our own brands, delivered our best ever SLAs and worked hard with our Added Value Service partners to help our retailers save more and make more, all whilst maintaining availability.
There’s never been a better time to join Londis. Call us today on 0808 178 8644 or visit JoinLondis.co.uk.
Nisa: empowering local retailers
Nisa is proud to support independent retailers across Scotland by combining the strength of a national brand with a flexible, locally focused approach. With thousands of stores across the UK and a growing presence in Scotland, Nisa is committed to helping Scottish retailers thrive in an increasingly competitive convenience sector.
Nisa now services more than 500 stores across its retail and wholesale operations in Scotland with over 60 of these locations joining Nisa in 2024. Partners in Scotland include highly successful multi-site retailers such as Greens Retail, PGNJ Group, Overton Trading and Trinity Retail.
Co-op Own Brand: Quality, Value, and Trust
When Co-op Group purchased Nisa in 2018, retailers gained access to over 2,400 high-quality own-brand products, covering a wide array of categories, including fresh produce, chilled goods, and household essentials. Co-op’s trusted reputation ensures customer loyalty, making it easier to build trust with shoppers.
The Co-op range offers a compelling value proposition for independent retailers by combining premium quality with affordability. These products consistently deliver strong profit margins, enabling retailers to remain competitive while satisfying the evolving needs of their customers. This advantage is particularly vital in Scotland, where customers increasingly seek high-quality, sustainable, and locally relevant products.
Driving Success with Tailored Support
By combining the reliability and profit potential of Co-op own-brand products with the flexibility to integrate local supplier relationships, Nisa empowers its Scottish retailers to create stores that meet the diverse needs of their communities. The result is a retail model that builds trust, strengthens customer loyalty, and positions Nisa stores as the go-to choice for convenience shopping in Scotland.
Whether it’s leveraging the trusted Co-op brand, showcasing locally sourced goods, or tailoring promotions to meet regional demands, Nisa provides the tools and support Scottish retailers need to thrive in a competitive marketplace.
Supporting Communities
Nisa is committed to helping its retailers support their local communities through the Making a Difference Locally (MADL) charity. By selling Co-op products, retailers generate funds to reinvest in local causes, enhancing their role as community hubs. As of November 2024, Nisa retailers had raised almost £900,000 for their local communities in the year, with donations estimated to have supported over 280,000 people.
Flexible Store Formats
Nisa’s flexible store formats cater to businesses of all sizes. Nisa’s experienced store development teams work closely with retailers to design and implement layouts that maximise space and sales potential. From fresh zones to food-to-go areas, each store is customised to meet the needs of its customer base – regardless of fascia choice.
Why Choose Nisa?
- Tailored Promotions: Year-round promotions to drive footfall and boost profitability.
- Co-op Own Brand: Access to trusted, high-quality own-brand products with strong PORs.
- Sustainability: Energy-efficient solutions that save costs and reduce environmental impact.
- Community Impact: MADL funding and food donation initiatives to support local causes.
- Expert Support: Dedicated store development teams and business advice to help retailers succeed.
Scottish retailer Zahid Mukhtar launched three Avens Retail stores with Nisa providing supply and support. Nisa supports retailers with a range of fascia choices including remaining independent such as the Avens stores in Kirkcaldy and Ballingry.
Zahid Mukhtar, Owner of Avens Retail: “Partnering with Nisa allows us to deliver on quality and value while staying deeply rooted in local traditions and priorities.
“The benefit of being a Nisa customer is that they really do support your vision for the store and work with you no matter what fascia features at the front of the store.
“The support I’ve had from Nisa’s retail and format team has been brilliant and they’ve worked hard with us to deliver our vision for Avens and supported our launch event alongside some suppliers.”
Jay Javid has revealed major plans to open three new stores in and around Glasgow by March 2025. PGNJ Group currently operates 11 Nisa stores across Scotland having renovated the Wee Mill pub in Rutherglen in 2024.
Jay Javid, Director at PGNJ Group: “We feel like we have a marriage with Nisa, sharing the same vision of what stores should look like, and the standards to expect.
“We spend a lot of time with the Nisa development team and really listen to them for the basic layout of our shops and range to fit with us having more Scottish lines than typical.”
Bestway: your perfect partner
At Bestway Retail, we don’t just supply our retailers products, our aim is to empower our retailers to thrive. We’re a business that offers a robust national delivered and collect solution for our retailers, across multiple supply chains, with competitive rebate terms in the market. A simple operating model, with a tactical and structured promotional program means we offer our retailers confidence that they can stand out against competitors in today’s competitive landscape in their local area.
Range
We are proud to bring a wide and diverse product range supporting all store formats, whoever your shopper. We offer retailers access to an extensive range of impulse and alcohol SKUs available in all our wholesale depots nationally.
Chilled
We support our retailers via a chilled distribution centre and an increased range of fresh food, with the introduction of a greater range of long-life fresh products. For our Costcutter symbol, our stores can access over 2,000 Co-op own-label products.
Flexible Delivery and Collection Options
We offer a delivery and collect model, giving retailers the flexibility to get stock delivered to their stores with the added benefit of being able to top up at their local depot.
Tailored and Benchmarked Promotions
We offer our retailers a complete and dynamic promotional programme. Promotions are refreshed every three or four weeks (depending on fascia) to drive footfall and sales.
Merchandising Advice
Our team of category and range planners work with market insights to determine the best product ranges by subcategory, by store size all in the effort to help retailers maximise their sales profit and footfall.
Support to our retailers
We have updated and re-launched our ‘Best in’ own-label range, which now offers more than 300 SKUs and has generous margins of over 30% up to 70% in key retail categories, with smaller case sizes to aid retailers in managing their cash flow and stock holding levels more efficiently.
Co-op products for the Costcutter stores are a high footfall driver.
We are constantly reviewing the frequency of our wholesale promotions, to ensure we can support retailers in uplifting their profitability. Our weekly and one day deals group the most relevant and deep promotions to help aid the retailer’s profitability.
We are working with suppliers to source and share equipment solutions that not only help our retailers reduce their carbon footprint but also reduce their energy costs.
Our symbol formats and fascias
- Costcutter – for retailers with a high index for fresh shoppers
- Best-one – for retailers with a high index for licensed & impulse shoppers
- Bargain Booze – for retailers wanting access to a best-in-class alcohol range with leading promotions.
- Hybrid – for retailers wanting access to a mix of convenience and off-licence through the various Bestway Retail networks.
Criteria for becoming a member
Trading with Bestway has never been easier and we are offering more flexibility than ever before. We are focused on pairing the right Bestway Brand and offer that is appropriate for each individual retailer, which is established during our initial New Business review meeting. There is a minimum weekly spend which varies by fascia brand.
Costs of becoming a member
Outside of the minimum weekly spend, there is no cost of becoming a member. Each individual store and project are reviewed and planned in collaboration with our retailers with the support of our UK-based Store Development team, who work hand in hand with our Central Store Design team. Driving growth and success sits at the heart of all projects whilst working within agreed budgets.
Ready to sign up?
There is a minimum spend commitment for retailers to join our symbol group, alongside the need to have a fascia, good store standards and the run the agreed promotions. It is all about simplicity.
Want to make more money?
Join us today. Call 07885 200033.
