Nisa retailer says Co-op’s Honest Value range is a ‘no-win’ 

Nisa last month rolled out Co-op’s Honest Value range to all its retailers, terming it as a competitive offer for shoppers looking to make savings on their food budget.

But, the symbol group is attracting retailers’ ire by not including the range as part of their rebate scheme, Fresh Rewards.

“We’re trying to introduce this new Honest Value range to the store to get value for customers, but they’re not counting it towards the Fresh Rewards. Obviously, we’re in a no-win situation,” A south London retailer told Asian Trader.

“We’re trying to put cheaper stuff in the store, but we can’t put it next to the expensive stuff, because nobody’s gonna buy the expensive stuff. So now you can have two products on the shelf, and everyone’s gonna go for the cheaper one. But you can’t order more of the cheaper one, because the expensive one is the only one that can be counted for your rebate criteria,” the retailer explains.

“So I’m trying to be competitive, but I can’t. I am forced to buy the expensive items for my rebates. It doesn’t make sense.”

Neither Nisa nor its parent Co-op responded to requests for comment.

The retailer revealed that they have stocked a lot of the Honest Value range in store to attract customers, but subsequently taken all down, and replaced with the Co-op own brand items. “The end result is, in the eye of Joe Public my shop is dearer to basket shop than those in the next parade.”

Nisa’s rebate scheme is a good thing, but the latest move represents a ‘step back’ rather than ‘moving forward’, the retailer says.

“It’s all about moving forward, isn’t it? First of all, they created this range about a year ago and they didn’t even give it to all shopkeepers. They just started introducing to us now, one year later. I don’t know why. Now the thing is, everybody can have it, but doesn’t count to the Fresh Rewards. So it’s another step back again.”

The range was initially launched in 2021 with Nisa retailers stocking a set number of Co-op own brand products across the core and Irresistible ranges. The Honest Value range spans all key categories including fruit, vegetables, ready meals, soft drinks, and dairy, as well as household goods.

The retailer feels that Nisa is no longer responding to needs the smaller shopkeepers, and urged the group to listen more to the retailer representatives on their board when taking decisions.

“Nisa is meant to be N.I.S.A. (Northern Independent Supermarkets Association), meant to be helping the small shopkeeper move forward, but they’ve lost the plot altogether. They’re just working for themselves, not for the shop owner,” the retailer alleges.