Talking Retail Grocery and product news for independent retailers
An added and somewhat unwelcome dimension, however, has been introduced by the proposed government legislation on restricting the whereabouts in-store of food and drink products deemed to be high in fat, sugar and salt – known in today’s jargon as HFSS. Spar is also having to design the store with these new proposals front of mind.
The plans, which also feature restrictions on multi-buy offers and promotions, include not only the usual suspects of confectionery, crisps and soft drinks, but also things like ice-creams, pastries and morning goods, cereals, biscuits and cakes.
In England at least, it looks like stores under 2,000sq ft will be exempt, but for those retailers who are required to implement the rules, it’s likely to be a major headache. It’s not only that such items won’t be allowed to be placed close to the till, they will also be banned in prominent areas such as aisle ends and store entrances. All in all, it’s going to require a big adjustment for those businesses that are affected.
As has been pointed out by the Association of Convenience Stores, what is primarily lacking here is clarity. The rules have not yet been laid down in full, but are likely to be enacted into law in the autumn and to come into force next March or April. While most appreciate the need for some kind of action to help tackle the obesity epidemic, many are also frustrated at the lack of notice to implement what is likely to be a major upheaval in the way stores are configured and pricing models are conceived. Once again, our legislators appear to be wildly out of touch with the day-to-day realities of running the kind of businesses they expect to implement and enforce their latest policies.
David Shrimpton, editor
