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HEINEKEN UK is introducing two new variants under its booming Inch's Cider brand - Inch's Cloudy (ABV 4.0%) and the first dealcoholised cider in the UK market, Inch's 0.0. The new SKUs will be available across grocery, wholesale and convenience channels. Since launching in 2021, Inch's now has the highest value share growth (4.6 per cent) of any cider in the UK and saw an overall sales increase of 47 per cent in 2024. The brand has added £16m to the category, which sits at £819m in grocery and 372m in convenience. By adding the new SKUs to their chillers, retailers can capitalise on the brand's popularity and grow their sales during peak cider-drinking seasons, including Easter, bank holidays and the summer. A category first: Inch's 0.0 The launch of Inch's 0.0 - the first de-alcoholised cider in the UK - is a major advancement for the brand, adding a credible, premium option to the booming no- and low-alcohol market. The no-ABV alternative to Inch's Medium Apple will allow retailers to create excitement around moderation and wellness. Available in 4x440ml multipack cans, Inch's 0.0 is a first of its kind, adopting the same thirst-quenching flavour as the original, with a fresh apple aroma in the form of a lightly sparkling cider.

Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, has announced it has awarded £20,000 in prizes to 11 National Lottery retailers in its latest Site, Stock, Sell online quarterly prize draw. A single National Lottery retailer took home the £10,000 top prize, while a further 10 retailers each won £1,000 for achieving high scores in Allwyn's Site, Stock, Sell online in-store standards programme. "My husband and I are big charity people and that's why we always make sure we do everything to maximise National Lottery sales and our shop's contributions to Good Causes," said Ranmal Punja Odera, owner of Smokers Paradise and winner of £1,000. "I worked for the NHS for years, and now I support the community and our customers. I often take our elderly customers out for brunch and dinner, so I will use the money to treat them to a nice afternoon tea and also give a little to a charity. Then the rest could go towards a holiday." Tanwir Hussain, owner of Premier News in Chorley and winner of a £1,000 prize, said: "I was so happy when I found out I'd won. It means we can buy a new washing machine with the money.

Most shoppers like the use of technology in the stores though frustrations emerge when that tech falls short of expectations, shows a new report, also highlighting retailers' enthusiasm towards adaptation of technology. According to new insights from the Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index, 77 per cent of Brits use tech to enhance in-person shopping. 42 per cent have adopted new tech in the last year to improve operations, with a third (30 per cent) aiming to boost sales and customer connections. One in three Brits (34 per cent) have spent more time in stores or returned due to enjoyable or useful technology, rising to 57 per cent of 25-to-34 year olds.

Philip Morris Limited (PML), the affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI) in the UK and Ireland, is stepping-up its fight against the illicit trade with the appointment of Catherine Goger to the role of Illicit Trade Prevention Manager. In this new role, Catherine is responsible for co-ordinating operations to tackle the sale of illicit products in the UK, continuing the company's working relationships with local authorities and supporting PML's Field Force and retail partners. Since joining PMI in 2022, Catherine has led the Fraud Prevention Team at Philip Morris Japan. Prior to PML, Catherine's career involved fighting money laundering and corruption across Latin America, Asia, and Europe. She also held senior positions at Ernst and Young, HSBC and Prudential. Her background in fighting illegal activity makes her well-equipped to understand how illicit operations impact legitimate retailers' businesses and strategies to overcome them.

Year-on-year total retail employment in the UK has declined by 2.4% during the first quarter of this year (Q1 2019), according to a report by the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Retail footfall in the UK dropped by 1.3% in August, compared with the 1.6% decline during the same period last year, according to British Retail Consortium (BRC).

A first for the brand in the UK, Lipton is entering the kombucha space with the launch of its bold and refreshing Lipton Kombucha range. The innovation is poised to shake up the market and tap into its immense potential, promising a delicious burst of flavour and variety for new drinkers to the category and existing kombucha enthusiasts. The new Lipton Kombucha, available now, is a combination of great tasting flavours, including Strawberry Mint, Raspberry and Mango Passionfruit. Lipton, the UK's number one Ice Tea brand, is looking to tap into the kombucha segment opportunity further. The launch, from the already well-known and well-loved Lipton brand, looks to bring a wide variety of customers into the space and bring kombucha to the mainstream with new, delicious tasting Lipton Kombucha flavours. The Kombucha market has been growing rapidly at 39 per cent since Covid and is now valued at an impressive £33 million, showing the growth opportunity this represents for retailers. As experts in tea, Lipton has blended kombucha with natural fruit flavours, the brand's famous Lipton tea and tiny bubbles to make a great new drink for customers, which is low in sugar, low in calories and made with naturally fermented tea.

The hottest February on record failed to make a significant difference to UK retail spend, which rose by just 3.4 percentage points (ppts) according to the 'UK Monthly Spend Tracker: A view of consumer spend in February 2019' report by GlobalData

Nescafé has unveiled its latest launch, Nescafé Iced Latte, offering, for the first time ever, ready-to-drink iced coffees in the ambient coffee aisle in a brand-new multi-serve format. Available from March in two flavours, Iced Latte and Iced Caramel Flavour Latte, these indulgent tasting lattes were specifically designed to be enjoyed cold and could not be easier to prepare. Simply shake the carton well to mix, prepare your chosen glass with ice and pour 250ml over it, then sip and enjoy! Each carton contains 3 servings, making it easier than ever to enjoy a delicious and refreshing iced coffee at home, any day of the week. "We are so excited to be introducing the new Nescafé Iced Lattes to coffee lovers in the UK," Ingrid Hayes, marketing director for Nescafé UK and Ireland, said.

The second reading of the Crime and Policing Bill held in parliament on Monday (10) during which Yvette Cooper reiterated the new measures to tackle the rising crime, abuse and shop thefts, declaring that the new measures will reverse the damage done by the Conservative government. Among the key announcements made by Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for the Home Department, during the parliamentary debate were a standalone offence for assaulting a shopworker, introducing Respect Orders, scraping the £200 threshold for shop theft offences, and placing £200 million for the next financial year for recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and police community support officers. Crime and Policing Bill is 'step in right direction', says Fed Additionally, the Secretary of State highlighted the unique challenges faced in crimes against rural communities which she stated are often driven by organised gangs. The Bill introduces measures to prevent prolific offenders from entering places such as town centres, as well as introducing new interventions to help addicts into treatment and end the cycle of reoffending.

With the new financial year weeks away, leading gifting and reward experts Love2shop have urged businesses and organisations to shake up their employee benefits packages. The PayPoint-owned business noted that this will meet not only rising business costs including the upcoming National Insurance hike, but the cost of living demands faced by the staff too, as employees want to save money on essential, everyday living costs more than ever. The newly launched Love2shop Perks platform hosts over 150 retailer discounts in one handy place, offering staff discounts of up to 38 per cent which they can take advantage of in seconds. It comes as businesses across the UK face unprecedented financial challenges and look to offer more cost effective ways than ever to support and retain workers.

UK department store chain John Lewis & Partners has announced it will trial a virtual reality retail experience, Visualise Your Space, to help customers envision new products in their homes before they buy.

PWR-BRU, from IRN-BRU, the No. 1 Scottish grocery brand, is introducing its first new flavour innovation since launching in 2023. Dynamo Fruit Punch will be hitting shelves from April 2025 in a 500ml big can format. "PWR-BRU has been packing a powerful flavour punch in the fast growing Scottish energy market since launch," said Kenny Nicholson, Head of IRN-BRU Brand. "The range, with its distinctive can design and real IRN-BRU essence, provides something unique and individual. This latest flavour innovation is arriving with retailers just in time to maximise profit opportunities in the summer sales peak." Scotland's energy drinks market is the nation's fastest growing category, adding the most value for retailers and selling an additional five million units per month during summer. Flavours are still driving these sales, as data shows flavoured SKUs are 60 per cent incremental to the market.

Ice cream brand Magnum has introduced a brand-new vegan ice cream recipe for its vegan range including Magnum Vegan Almond, setting the benchmark for plant-based indulgence with its most velvety vegan ice cream yet. The new velvety soy protein-based ice cream, paired with Magnum's signature cracking vegan chocolate, delivers the luxurious ice cream experience Magnum is known for. Magnum Vegan Almond has the smooth vegan vanilla ice cream coated in the brand's signature vegan cracking chocolate and studded with almond pieces to give a crunchy twist on the classic format. The soy recipe replaces Magnum's former pea protein recipe to offer consumers a more velvety taste and texture. In addition to the new recipe, the single stick will be available in a new eye-catching premium pack design to elevate its visibility in freezers and to help convenience retailers boost impulse sales.

Fish4Ever, a small yet influential tin-to-table voice within sustainable, responsible fishing is proud after many years of polite jockeying to finally add Cornish Sardines to its new look range for 2025. Probably best known for its award-winning, 100 percent pole-and-line tuna, which was once described by Greenpeace as "the best tuna in the world for sustainable and equitable sourcing", Fish4Ever has also secured a distinguished +20-year reputation selling Scottish mackerel and sprats. "As a UK protected, designated origin hero, Cornish sardines are a 'local shores' success story we've been seeking to champion for many years at Fish4Ever, albeit it was imperative we worked with a like-minded, home-grown cannery in keeping with our 'socially positive' priorities," said founder Charles Redfern. "Sardines are not only insanely moreish but a nutritionally-ripped, lean protein superfood jam-packed with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, B12, calcium, selenium and phosphorus."

UK Mother's Day 2019 spend is expected to rise 0.8% to £1.6bn despite the day falling later in the month than usual causing retailers to focus on other events earlier in March, according to a survey by GlobalData.

Multinational e-commerce company eBay has opened its first UK concept store in the city of Wolverhampton. The month-long pop-up store brings together 40 local small businesses into one physical shop. The businesses are participating in eBay's Retail Revival programme.

British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has unveiled plans to launch an instalment payments facility online for its UK customers. On M&S.com, customers will now be able to pay interest-free within six weeks of purchasing M&S clothing and home products.

Business advisory firm Quantuma has filed proposals for a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) to rescue Genus UK Ltd, known as UK fashion retailer Select.

UK pregnancy and child product retailer Mothercare has reported its UK sales have fallen 11.8% to £336.6m in its financial year (FY2018/19) figures for the 53 weeks to 30 March 2019.