Food & Health Alliance

Scottish Grocers’ Federation chief executive John Drummond admits that convenience stores have had ‘a bit of a tough time’ recently, caused partly by supermarkets’ relentless expansion and in part by the recession.

Yet one area that has spectacularly bucked that trend has been the sale of fresh fruit and vegetables, exemplified by the success of the healthyliving Programme. Prominent displays of fresh, locally sourced produce are also a way of differentiating the corner shop from the corporate supermarket.

‘Healthy foods have not been a traditional plank to convenience store trading,’ he accepts. ‘But they have proved to be a very successful development in recent years and the catalyst for that development has been the focus on fresh fruit and vegetables.

‘I know of some stores that didn’t even stock fruit and vegetables previously. They took the opportunity with the healthyliving initiative to focus on fruit and vegetable and from there to develop a growing element of their business.

‘And it is one they can develop with some pride. They are making the store look better and in so doing they are helping consumers eat more healthily.’

The government’s current campaign to encourage healthy eating habits presents the convenience store sector with a golden opportunity. ‘I think that a well- presented fruit and vegetable section placed strategically near the front makes an important statement when the customer enters - we are fresh and healthy.’

But Mr Drummond accepts that with only 12% of the country’s convenience stores having so far signed up to the healthyliving Programme, there is still a long way to go.

‘I know some retailers are scared of developing fruit and vegetables because of the wastage they have perhaps incurred in the past.

‘But to my mind that is a price worth paying. In fact I would almost encourage shops to accept wastage in the early stages. The cost is equivalent to having advertising space in the local newspapers and it’s saying we always have fresh fruit and vegetables in our shop.

‘Perseverance is the name of the game until such time that profit from the increased sales exceeds the cost of wastage. That’s what’s happened in almost every store in the healthyliving Programme.’

He believes there are many other areas of healthy eating that convenience stores could exploit, including low fat dairy products and spreads and other fresh produce.

But he also urges more action from the Food Standards Agency and suppliers in helping to identify the healthy components of products. ‘More and more people are aware of what they’re eating and are looking for healthier options and we need to help them in that process.’

Looking to the future he wants closer links to be forged between convenience stores and the local community. ‘I’d like to see more and more stores linking up with schools, nurseries, hospitals and youth clubs. If that requires provision of free produce to get things started, then that would be a very worthwhile investment.

‘We need to encourage communities to eat more healthily and I’d love to see convenience stores involved in that.’ But it will also benefit retailers in their pockets. ‘If they put these fresh products under the noses of consumers and ensure they’re fresh, they will find they are paid back handsomely.’