Standing out as the multiples move In

The premium aisle once belonged solely to speciality shops but, as the old adage goes, times are changing. Multiples are increasingly stocking single-origin, small-batch and provenance-led products that would have been unthinkable on their shelves a decade ago, edging further onto turf that used to be uncontested.

Quality used to be the main differentiator, drawing customers to delis and farm shops as a point of pride. Lumina Intelligence reports that over a third of UK consumers say they’d pay more for provenance alone, particularly when it’s backed by a traceable supply chain. But with supermarkets now offering premium ranges complete with named producers and emotive marketing stories, what do independents have that the multiples still can’t buy?

Knowledge a supermarket can’t stock

At The Norfolk Deli, the answer starts with expertise. “One of the biggest misconceptions is that personal service is simply about being friendly,” explains Mark Kacary, managing director. “It isn’t. It’s about having the time, knowledge and authority to do what’s right for each individual customer.”

In a supermarket, product knowledge and staff numbers are spread thinly across an enormous range, leaving a noticeable gap in customer service. “How often have you wandered around a supermarket looking for somebody, anybody, who could help?” asks Kacary. “And when you finally found someone, how often did they know where the product was, never mind being able to tell you anything meaningful about it? That’s not because they don’t care; it’s because they’re operating in an environment where breadth is valued over depth.”

Walk through the doors of an independent, and the experience is markedly different. The person serving customers is often the very same person who hand￾selected the stock. The knowledge they have comes from researching its provenance and building relationships with producers directly.

As Kacary explains, the team doesn’t follow a script or push to beat sales targets.“Customers don’t expect you to know everything, but they do expect you to know more than
they do,” he adds. “That’s why we invest so much time in learning about our products, visiting producers, tasting regularly and understanding not just how something tastes, but why it tastes that way, how it’s made and what it pairs well with.”

That level of expertise speaks volumes when customers ask for a special cheese for a wedding or a bottle of wine to complement a certain meal. It’s a real conversation rather than sales patter, and the team takes the time to understand exactly what the customer is looking for.

Sometimes that means steering them towards a £6 cheese rather than a £12 one, just because it better suits their tastes. “Customers quickly recognise that you’re helping them make the right choice rather than trying to maximise the value of the sale, and that’s how trust is built,” explains Kacary.

Of course, when it comes to the good, old-fashioned weekly shop, price and convenience will always win. Kacary is the first to admit this, agreeing that it’s the area in which multiples do tend to excel. However, he firmly believes independents have the edge when a purchase carries more weight than a block of cheddar. In those moments when a customer is looking for something particular—say a birthday gift, or a new flavour—it’s the experience that stays with them.

“People remember how you made them feel long after they’ve forgotten what they paid,” he says. Over time, the questions customers ask change too. “Once you’ve earned that trust, customers stop asking, ‘What’s your best cheese?’ and start asking, ‘What would you choose?’ For me, that’s one of the greatest compliments a customer can pay.”

How to Compete

Top tips to make your shelves stand out

Know the stock better than anyone. Put education at the centre of your offering, and
keep customers coming back for more.

Make regulars feel recognised. A small team seeing the same faces every week builds rapport.

Create a ‘feel good’ experience. Offer unique events or a genuinely different range to turn a visit into an occasion.

Stand as a collective voice. Joining forces can create real change, from rates to supplier terms to lobbying government.

What a self-checkout can’t do

While supermarket stock may slowly start to resemble speciality fare, consumers ultimately meet one of two fates upon reaching the checkout. Either a rushed conveyor-belt, complete with a queue looming behind them; or a faceless self-service machine. Julie Wright, owner of Porter Brook Deli in Sheffield, believes this is the moment a specialist shop wins the customer back.

“In an independent, the customer is very likely to see the same person or persons every time they visit, so rapport is created and grows with every visit,” she says. “In a multiple, there’s far less chance of being served by the same person each time, which means personal relationships are far less likely to form. You may not even interact with a person, just a self-service checkout.”

The purpose of the visit matters too, Julie says. Supermarket shoppers are often following a list or know exactly what to buy before they enter the building. A visit to a specialist shop like Porter Brook, which focuses on cheese and wine pairing, is an altogether more leisurely experience.

“You are going for something that you won’t find in the supermarket and have more specialist knowledge available to you about the products,” she adds, explaining that there’s more space for interaction between the staff and customers and, therefore, more room for exploration, too.

Staff attentiveness and a personalised service create a sense of community that you won’t find in multiples. “I think our customers feel they belong and that they are special to us, which indeed they are, and this brings them back through the door on a regular basis,” Wright concludes.

An experience worth travelling for

Set away from bustling city or town centres where footfall is a given, destination retailers often have to work twice as hard to attract consumers. Teals Somerset, a food market with a restaurant, butchery, cheesemonger and bottle shop under one roof, rises to the challenge by offering customers something worth travelling for.

Location, says founder Ash Sinfield, works in Teals’ favour. Situated just off the A303 in Somerset in what he calls a “beautifully rural location,” the rustic building was designed to sit comfortably within its surroundings while complementing the scenery. Sinfield says the team makes a genuine effort to give visitors not only products they wouldn’t find in a mainstream supermarket, but also an experience in itself.

Sinfield aptly describes the food market as “a canvas on which to showcase our brilliant local farmers and makers,” with it stocking everything from honey and jams to Somerset cereals.

“This is the reason that our guests visit us over the supermarkets,” he explains. “We offer the opportunity for guests to buy local and seasonal and support local British Farmers, makers and growers and contribute directly to the local economy.”

Teals opened during the second Covid lockdown and the team were immediately faced with the challenge of attracting local shoppers while movement was restricted. Sinfield’s advice for retailers considering a rural or out-of-town location is simple.

“I would make sure that you have solid marketing plans and a realistic budget in place to make I believe people don’t visit independent businesses just to buy a product. They come because they value expertise, authenticity and confidence sure that you can connect and communicate with your local population and let them know what you are offering and give them a reason to visit. If you can engage this demographic you can grow from here,” he says.

The power of collective voices

From April 2026, business rates in England moved to a five-tier multiplier system, replacing the retail, hospitality and leisure relief scheme that had discounted bills since 2022. That leaves many small retailers now facing a higher effective rate than they paid in 2025/26.

Research from the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) illustrate show business rates are central to traders’ concerns. Its Heartbeat survey of independent retailers across the UK, carried out in January and February 2026, found that 69.41% said business rates had reduced their investment decisions over the past year, with 42.35% describing the drop as a “significant reduction” in investment.

With the general cost of running a shop set to climb, Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, calls upon retailers to stand together. “As a collective voice we can put it in front of ministers and get it taken seriously. We want a system that reflects the reality of trading on the high street today, not one built for a retail landscape that no longer exists. Success would mean a fairer, more proportionate system that doesn’t penalise independents simply for having a physical shop,” he says.