Antony Begley

Now let’s get one thing out of the way straight off the bat: I’m no lawyer. But unlike judge Lord Sandison, I did live through the shambolic chaos of DRS 1.0 and I was fairly close to the story on pretty much a daily basis for probably two years. So to hear that the learned…

Industry charity GroceryAid has fully rebranded to put retail workers front and centre and to remove the stigma of accepting help, as CEO Kieran Hemsworth explains to SLR. By Antony Begley Industry charity GroceryAid has unveiled a brand-new identity that, for the first time, puts workers from across the entire independent retailing and grocery spectrum…

The Sadiq family picked up a highly deserved Special Recognition trophy at the recent SLR Awards for four decades at the cutting edge of local retailing in Scotland. By Antony Begley They say that retailing gets into your blood and there’s no doubt that’s the case with the hugely popular and hugely successful Sadiq family […]

The local retailing sector never stands still so it makes sense to keep on top of your options as you focus on maximising sales and profits in your business – so could it be the right time for a fresh start with a new symbol partner that better meets your specific needs? By Antony Begley…

It’s the fastest-growing category in BWS and volume grew by more than 24% in convenience in the last year – so why is no one talking about RTDs? By Antony Begley Ready-To-Drink (RTD) products have a very long and mostly venerable tradition in the local retailing channel. The history of the category has been marked…

Multi-store retailer Zahid Mukhtar has unveiled a brand-new fascia for his latest store in Kirkcaldy with help from specialist convenience consultancy the C-Store Collective. by Antony Begley Scottish retailer Zahid Mukhtar has opened his first ‘Avens Retail’ fascia store with the support of Nisa and specialist convenience consultancy the C-Store Collective. The new store on…

The ACS 2023 Forecourt Report has shown how forecourts have continued to invest heavily despite massive flux in the fuel and vehicle marketplace. By Antony Begley The freshly published 2023 Forecourt Report from the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has recognised how, despite the current flux in the fuel and vehicle marketplace, forecourt retailers are…

The transformation of Spar Scotland over the last few years continues apace with a record-breaking trade show, a major acquisition and significant profit growth. By Antony Begley Despite the state of permanent flux that is making life for the local retailing trade as challenging as ever, Spar Scotland has continued its remarkable transformation under CEO…

The UK’s leading symbol group and SLR’s reigning Symbol Group of the Year recently opened its 500th store in Scotland after a period of rapid growth. By Antony Begley Premier, the biggest symbol group in the UK with over 4,000 stores, has recently celebrated another milestone achievement by opening its 500th store in Scotland. The…

Cadbury Creme Egg’s ‘How Do You Not Eat Yours?’ campaign is set to return for Easter 2023. By Antony Begley. Easter wouldn’t be Easter without a Creme Egg or 12, and the iconic brand is planning a cracking Easter in 2023 by bringing back its ‘How Do You Not Eat Yours?’ campaign when the top-selling…