This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Healthy food at corner shops
07/02/2005
A six-month pilot study to introduce healthy food ranges
to local convenience stores has been a great success,
according to Health Minister Andy Kerr speaking ahead of a
visit to a local store in Fife which now provides a range
of healthier foods for its customers.
Mr Kerr said:
"I am delighted that this pilot study has proven so
successful. It demonstrates the enormous contribution
convenience stores can make in getting people to eat more
healthily.
"One store alone quadrupled sales of fruit and
vegetables simply by increasing the space available for the
produce and moving it from the back of the store to the
front. That such small changes can have such a big impact
is extremely encouraging.
"Scotland's health is improving but not fast enough.
Major health inequalities still persist in our society.
"I am fully committed to improving the availability of
affordable, quality healthy food - particularly in low
income areas. We will build on the success of this pilot
study and increase the number of local shops who are
committed to providing healthier food choices.
"Currently we have more than 300 shops wanting to take
part in the next phase of this pilot which is great news.
Phase 2 will be a 12-month campaign and we anticipate that
this will go a long way to improve the supply of healthier
food options to the less affluent communities within our
country."
David Sands, Managing Director of David Sands Ltd in
Kennoway, said:
"We decided to be part of this pilot after conducting a
survey which showed that two thirds of our customers wanted
us to sell more healthy foods.
"Since introducing a wider range of healthier food and
drink options, even we have been surprised by their
popularity and we are rolling out these products to all our
stores."
The initiative is a partnership between Robert Wiseman
Dairies, the Scottish Grocers' Federation, major operators
in the convenience sector (which includes David Sands Ltd.,
Aberness Foods (now Somerfield), Morning Noon and Night
(now Scotmid), Botterrills Convenience Stores and C J Lang
& Sons Ltd.) and the Executive's Health Department.
From April to October 2004, a six month pilot study
(Phase 1) was undertaken in order to evaluate the potential
of the convenience store sector to successfully and
profitably promote the healthyliving brand and healthier
food choices, with a view to helping inform further action
in this sector.
The total cost of Phase 1 was £20,000, of which 50 per
cent was contributed by the Executive, with the other 50
per cent being contributed by the industry partners.
All the participating convenience stores acknowledged
that the growing demand for a healthier lifestyle among the
Scottish population offered retailers considerable scope to
develop this part of their business.
During the course of Phase 1, the sector tested a wide
variety of potential promotional initiatives including:
- healthy meal deals
- fruit coupons on consumer leaflets
- a free piece of fruit with non-sugar drinks
- free fruit for every child accompanying a parent on
a shopping trip
- price promoting fruit and vegetables
- spend £2 and receive a free piece of fruit
- sitting healthy eating options near check out
areas
- displaying fruit at checkouts instead of
confectionery and snacks
- using the healthyliving apple brand to signpost
healthy options
- adopting a secondary school
- issuing flyers to the school to advise of a
healthier lunch meal deal including a free piece of
fruit
Some examples of the results:
- A 14.6 per cent increase in total soft drink sales
and a 21per cent increase in cash profit was achieved
by increasing the range of fruit drinks and decreasing
the range of carbonated drinks available in-store
- A promotion featuring a healthy range of ready to
eat meals resulted in a 260 per cent increase in
sales
- Moving fruit and vegetables from the rear of a
store to the front resulted in a 36 per cent sales
increase in the first week and has produced ongoing
increases of 62 per cent
- In another store, a 400 per cent increase in sales
of fruit and vegetables was achieved by increasing the
space available for this category and by moving it from
the back to the front of the store
- A meal deal featuring free orange juice and fruit
with every sandwich resulted in a 50 per cent increase
in sales
- Another meal deal featuring light yoghurt with a
sandwich resulted in the selling of 740 deals extra to
normal business
- Displaying pieces of fruit at checkouts rather than
confectionery resulted in the sale of more fruit than
confectionery
The initiative is a key component of the Executive's
strategy to improve access to healthier foods in the local
community.
There are approximately 5,000 convenience stores
currently operating in Scotland, employing in excess of
25,000 people.
The UK convenience store market is currently growing at
twice the rate of the overall grocery market (4.7 per cent
to 2.3 per cent: Source IGD).
In Scotland for the 12 months to May 2004, the
convenience store market share was growing at twice the
rate of the rest of the UK (i.e. 9.4 per cent per annum:
Source IGD).