Local produce, EV charging and other trends to look out for in convenience sector

Convenience retailers will have to continue to expand their local produce offering, declared Chris Noice, director of communications at the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) recently while stating that locally sourced products is a huge trend in retail.

Citing a new survey from Weetabix which stated that 48 per cent of shoppers now seek out locally sourced products when they shop, Noice said that retailers should maintain very close relationships with local businesses. 

Noice was speaking to delegates at Co-operatives UK’s Practitioners Forum about the latest trends affecting the convenience sector where he also touched upon EV charging stations.

The spread of EV charging is something convenience stores could benefit from, should they choose to offer charging stations, he said, suggesting c-store owners make EV charging facilities available during the night to avoid filling parking spaces during the day.

Noice also said the average basket size of a convenience store customer has increased over the past 12 months, as more and more people do all their shopping from their local convenience store.

Convenience stores’ home deliveries have also risen, said Noice, adding that these do not always take place via mobile or online platforms as many customers served by convenience stores, particularly those in the more remote areas, prefer to place orders via phone.

Speaking about the challenges and future trends in the convenience sector, Noice pointed out the current shortage of drivers and rising popularity of discounters such as Aldi and Lidl as some major roadblocks.

Another big trend, as per Noice, is sustainability. Businesses might soon be required to run deposit return schemes, he said, adding that if this will be done manually convenience stores will have additional health and safety issues to deal with.

Convenience stores are also starting to offer more zero waste products and bulk-buying options. However, Noice pointed out there is room for improvement when it comes to branding these products to appeal to a wider demographic.

Noice also reminded retailers to look out for HFSS regulations under which the UK government intends to introduce new regulation to tackle down on obesity. Convenience stores will have to watch out for this as some discount offers for sugary products might be banned, said Noice.