SF-October-2020

may depend on the severity of the recession as it bites this autumn. Whilst your summer may have been busy with customers happy to pay the extra, price may become a bigger factor when it comes to your Christmas pantry selections. “In the last recession we saw an increase in snacking and health became less important, though on the whole consumers were trading down,” says Rachel. “Also in the last recession discounts were at big levels, so yes shoppers were absolutely looking to treat themselves but were savvy in using promotions to manage their spend.” Using loyalty schemes, vouchers and other promotions may help tip hesitant customers on a budget into a purchase they feel good about, and will discuss within their networks. @specialityfood I t’s the most exciting time of year, when first-time cooks venture out for the exact glacé cherries that Mary Berry suggests, bakers scour your shelves for the hottest baking implement as featured in Martha De Lacey’s Instagram grid, and Christmas hosts scout for cheese biscuits their guests will know weren’t from Tesco. Of course, this year is different. After months devoid of the normal celebrations and get-togethers, Christmas 2020 has a lot to make up for. But with masks and sanitiser, localised lockdowns and number limits taking the shine off the most wonderful (retail) time of the year, how should you entice customers to come, peruse and leave with a heap of add-ons they didn’t know they wanted? Or take their online shop to your site, rather than hold out for a delivery slot with Ocado? For the most seasoned, innovative and successful of fine food retailers, encapsulating the magic of the season is all about planning big and stocking smart. Curating the perfect pantry selection “There are two distinct shoppers,” says Edward Berry of consultancy The Flying Fork. “Those seeking supplies for home, and those gifting. For the first, it starts with a list. I always encourage providing a checklist for customers; there are plenty of chances for some impulse buys and upselling.” Besides the endless items needed to execute 34 a traditional menu of Christmas cooking from scratch, the huge trend to home baking presents some new opportunities for your Christmas pantry section. A new generation of lockdown sourdough aficionados will have learnt the value of specialist flours – local, stoneground, and full of flavour. With the sweet baking trend gaining new traction this spring, your customers are primed to try a broader range of glacé fruits, peels, essences, nuts and vine fruits to create their own magical bakes. “’Christmas’ is the big word here at the food hall,” says Nick Punter of Suffolk Food Hall on the banks of the River Orwell near Ipswich. “Our buyers often are talking Christmas early in the year, much to the dismay of others in the office! There are a few products that we deemmust-haves: I would say that panettone is always a staple item available in the Food Hall, obviously Christmas pud too! Stokes’ There are two distinct shoppers: those seeking supplies for home, and those gifting Christmas packs go down a storm too, as well as many of the biscuit packs from Cartwright & Butler. Our loose chocolates from Harris & James and Charbonnel & Walker make great presents, and when you can pick your own selection it really makes it special.  “We see an influx of new customers during the festive period, whether that’s curiosity and walking through the home department (Christmas decorations) or making orders with our butchery for Christmas. I do genuinely believe we offer fantastic quality and value for that quality. I know Christmas will be an odd one this year but I can envisage more of us wanting to really enjoy our Christmas time and have a high-quality Christmas, which means we all search for the very best products to enjoy. We also stock many products that the main supermarkets don’t, which also leads customers to the shop. I know I will be shopping with the money I’ve saved by not going on holiday!” Helping your customers towards a really special Christmas may feel more important this year. According to Rachel Cacioppo, consumer insight director at Kantar, trusted brands associated with quality may perform better than usual. “One of the consistent patterns we see [in existing data] across grocery is brands growing ahead of often cheaper own-label lines. That’s happened consistently from March through to April.” How long this habit to buy on name holds up MASTERTHEARTOFTHE CHRISTMAS PANTRY With a macro trend for home cooking hitting at the biggest feasting period of the year, there’s more reason than ever to pitch your pantry supplies just right Letting displays do the selling For Edward, your displays should signpost your customers to every specialist ingredient without your busy staff having to get involved. “In store, merchandising should be organised with additional sales in mind; for example anything to go with turkey needs to be near the butchery counter, if there is one. Visual merchandising is essential, and it’s not, to my mind, a time for innovation. Christmas sales are extremely traditional.” Indeed, building excitement in-store is about more than glitzy displays of luxuries (though these rarely go amiss). For many home cooks the ritual and nostalgia of Christmas can be evoked by some comparatively mundane