M&S To Roll Out Opticians Service

Marks & Spencer is rolling its Opticians service to 55 stores over the next 18 months.

The decision follows an initial trial in five stores, during which the service is said to have received a strong customer satisfaction rating

NamNews Implications:

• Golden rule in retail:
• ’try it and if it works…’
• i.e. anticipate a quick roll-out to 55 stores for M&S.
• (with other mults unlikely to remain on the sidelines)
• And McKesson sell-offs revitalised under new asset management.

#Opticians #retail

Study Shows Supermarket Shoppers Switched Brands During Pandemic

Only 38% of consumers in the UK remained loyal to their usual brands in supermarkets during the pandemic.

The research by artificial intelligence specialist Antuit.ai found that consumers who switched were more likely to have traded down on grocery brands during the period than those who traded up from own-label to brands. 20% said they traded down from brands to own-label during the pandemic, compared to just 14% who traded up.

NamNews Implications:

• Curious that a move to private label is still regarded as a ‘trading down’ move.
• See Gen 4 of our paper ‘Four Generations of Private Label’
• That said, ‘Saving money was the main motivation for those switching to own label (55%)’…
• …and branded suppliers need to factor that in.
• The key is reassessing relative competitive appeal within your post-Lockdown categories…
• …whilst ensuring you include private label (all Generations) as ‘available competitors’.

#PrivateLabel #Competition

Disappointing Quarter Amazon; Facing Soaring Costs

 Amazon reported a big fall in profits yesterday and highlighted that it was facing billions of dollars in extra costs to manage supply chain and labour shortage challenges over the key festive period.

After benefitting from the surge in online shopping during the pandemic, Amazon’s third-quarter results disappointed Wall Street. Net income fell by 50% to $3.16bn on total revenues up only 15% to $110.8bn – the company’s slowest rate of growth since 2015.

NamNews Implications:

• Fortunately for Amazon, they have not even started to use accumulated muscle…
• Meanwhile, to maintain its consumer-centric reputation they will have to absorb costs:
• labour rates
• supply chain bumps
• But there are limits, even for Amazon.
• i.e. suppliers will feel the pain before consumers…

#AmazonSlows #ProfitSqueeze

Coca-Cola Trialling New Refillable Concept

Coca‑Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has started trialling a new refillable, on-the-go soft drinks solution.

The pilot is taking place in Stockholm, Sweden, at a PBX convenience store in collaboration with GLACIAL beverage containers.

The concept allows consumers to buy or bring their own drinks containers to fill, choosing from more than 60 flavours, including the Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, FuzeTea and Smartwater brands.

NamNews Implications:

• In effect, moving dispensers from behind the bar to the front…
• i.e. from on to off-trade…
• ‘Simple’ and neat…
• “Now why didn’t I think of that…?”

#Refillables #Creativity

Iceland Giving Away Free Food

Iceland Foods has rolled out a new scheme called ‘Free on Last Day of Life’ as part of its efforts to reduce food waste. The initiative will see online shoppers offered free products when the last day of shelf life has been reached and no other stock is available.

Traditionally, food items delivered by Iceland has a minimum shelf life of at least two days. However, products close to expiry will now be given away to prevent them being wasted.

NamNews Implications:

• ‘…we to have find an innovative way to combat (food waste)…’ - says it all, for most retailers.
• But what makes Iceland different is the imaginative way they package the idea…
• Their ‘Free on Last Day of Life scheme’ not only helps reduce food waste but also supports our customers.
• (in a way that also grabs headlines….)
• Watch this space…

#FoodWaste #Innovation #Creativity

Unilever Warns Of More Price Rises To Counter Increasing Costs

Alongside its third-quarter results today, Unilever became the latest consumer goods manufacturer to warn that more price rises were on the cards as it battles spiralling input cost inflation.

Over the three months to 30 September, the group’s underlying sales rose a slightly better-than-expected 2.5% to €13.5bn. This was driven by an average price increase of 4.1% across its product range which counteracted a 1.5% fall in volumes.

NamNews Implications:

• P&G, Colgate-Palmolive, General Mills, Kimberly-Clark, Nestlé, PepsiCo and now Unilever…
• Price rises are coming.
• The only issue is whether average increases of 4.1% for Unilever…
• …are anything like enough?
• i.e. can we anticipate even steeper hikes to come?
• Meanwhile, rivals in Unilever’s categories might benefit from a line by line comparison with Unilever brands and geographies…?

#PriceInflation #SupplyChainInflation

EG Group Pulls Out Of £750m Deal To Buy Asda’s Petrol Stations

After agreeing to buy Asda, Mohsin and Zuber Issa, the founders of EG, and their private equity backers TDR Capital, announced plans in February to finance the acquisition in part by selling the supermarket’s petrol stations to their own forecourts business for £750m.

Asda will retain the petrol forecourts business and the associated revenue and profits. However, the £750m expected from the deal will now come from £500m of debt and £250m of its own cash.

NamNews Implications:

• £500m extra debt means sweating Asda more…
• Apart from pressures on costs of goods and shelf price increases.
• Fingers crossed re the £1bn sale of Asda distribution assets.

#PrivateEquity #Asda #RetailDebt

Grocery Sales Down, Prices Up; Tesco Outperforms Market

Take-home grocery sales fell by 1.2% over the 12 weeks to 3 October, partly because the reduced availability of petrol led to shoppers limiting the number of trips they made to supermarkets.

Despite the dip, the data from Kantar shows sales remain 8.1% higher than they were before the pandemic and every retailer recorded better sales compared with the same period in 2019.

NamNews Implications:

• Key for suppliers to compare their sales with anticipatory Christmas shopping by cautious shoppers.
• Despite relatively little share movement, worth comparing the detail re your business…
• NB. the discounters are still an issue for Big Retail, despite counteracting moves by the mults…

#LockdownResults #MultsShares