NEWS
24 JANUARY 2025 ASIAN TRADER 5
The government has
unveiled a new £15 million
grant to help thousands of
tonnes of food – and fresh
produce in particular – be
passed to redistribution
charities rather than going
to waste.
Every year an estimated
330,000 tonnes of edible
food is either wasted or
“repurposed” as animal feed
before it even leaves the
farm gates, the government
noted, with transport from
farms to charities cited as a
major barrier to redistribu-
tion.
To strengthen the
links between farms and
charities, the new
scheme will see grants
starting from £20,000
made available to the
not-for-profit food
redistribution sector in
England. The cash will help
organisations like homeless
shelters, food banks and
charities fight hunger, the
government said.
In a joint statement,
Charlotte Hill, CEO of The
Felix Project, and Kris
Gibbon-Walsh, CEO of
FareShare, said, “After years
of campaigning by food
redistribution charities, we
are thrilled to see this fund
come to fruition. We are
pleased that the govern-
ment has recognised that
too much food goes to waste
on our farms, and that it
should be redistributed to
feed people who need it.
Government unveils £15m grant
to tackle food waste
Are you catering to the
Are you catering to the
sober-curious this year?
sober-curious this year?
Nick Gillett is
Co-founder and
Managing
Director of
successful spirits
distributor
Mangrove
Global, as well as an industry
expert and commentator. In his
column for this issue, Nick asks
retails to take Dry January and
beyond seriously in terms of
extra sales
Dry January – the time of year when
over-indulgence and the appeal of
clean living tempt many of us into
sober life (even if it is just for a month).
It’s also a time when consumer
spending is notoriously low, as the
excesses of Christmas take their toll on
the old purse strings; a time where
your on-shelf spirits range has to work
extra hard to tempt your customers.
But beyond Dry January, behaviour
change is a big driver of low-alcohol
living – and it’s forecasted to expand
exponentially over decades to come.
Many Gen Z and Millennials are
sober-curious, but the fact is, soft
drinks just don’t satisfy them. They still
want the sense of occasion that comes
with having an alcoholic drink.
A “low and no” alcohol range is
what you need to satisfy these
customers – and this category extends
way beyond 0.0% beers. There’s a
mixed bag of quality out there – espe-
cially products that claim to be an
alcohol-free variant of an existing
brand. In my mind these types of
products rarely live up to their
counterparts. If you’re looking to build
a low and no range, instead look at
brands who are simply trying to create
something delicious. Lewis Hamilton’s
agave-based Almave is a great
example; if RTD cans sell well in-store,
look to the likes of Caleño; or why not
try one of Gifard’s alcohol-free
liqueurs, which are perfect on their
own or as the basis to a mocktail. All of
the above give the experience of
spirits, just without the alcohol.
Start with a few well-chosen
products, give them their own collective
space, and signpost them accordingly,
and you may just find appeal with a new
group of customers.
Tesco has recorded its “biggest
ever Christmas”, with the UK’s
largest supermarket chain
landing its biggest share of the
festive shopping trolley since
2016.
Sales at established UK stores
rose 4% in the six weeks to 4
January, with fresh food
performing particularly strongly
and clothing and homeware
sales also up.
Tesco now controls 28.5% of
the grocery market and gained
share from premium and
discounter rivals over the 12
weeks to 29 December,
according to Kantar.
Tesco added that Booker saw a
core retail growth of +1.3% as its
symbol brands continue to
perform well despite a subdued
market backdrop. Overall,
Booker performance reflects
continued decline in the tobacco
market.
Ken Murphy, Tesco’s Chief
Executive, expressed pride in the
team’s eforts during the
Christmas period, highlighting
the retailer’s focus on delivering
value, quality, and service to all
customers, regardless of how
they chose to shop.
Murphy noted that Tesco has
maintained its position as the
UK’s cheapest full-line grocer for
over two years while improving
product quality across its ranges.
“UK food sales rose 4.7%
driven by volume growth, with
sales being particularly strong in
fresh food and its Finest range
seeing impressive growth of
15.5% as shoppers treated
themselves over the festive
period,” said Sofie Willmott,
Associate Retail Director at
GlobalData.
“Despite Aldi opening stores
throughout 2024, including 11
new stores in November and
December, which will have
driven total growth of 3.4% (for
the four weeks to 24 December),
Tesco achieved better like-for-
like growth (for the six weeks to
4 January 2025) of 4.1%, against
strong comparatives.”
Good news for Tesco could be good news for grocery sector
Tesco reports ‘biggest
Tesco reports ‘biggest
ever Christmas’
ever Christmas’
NEWS/COMMENT