Nisa is introducing a raft of cost-saving measures for retailers as they continue to grapple with rising energy bills and price inflation.
The symbol group’s head of retail Victoria Lockie said it was a critical time to show retailers its various tools and initiatives to save costs, having felt the budget earlier this month lacked sufficient support to combat crippling energy bills.
Nisa has sent out an energy pack to retailers, offering tips and advice on improving lighting, heating and refrigeration efficiency.
Examples include fitting presence detectors to back of house areas to automatically switch lights off when they are not required, as well as installing Arneg refrigeration, which can reduce energy consumption by up to 37%.
The leaflet also shows new POS to download, including an A3 poster for back-office areas explaining ways staff members can lower energy consumption, such as closing back-up fridges and freezers as quickly as possible. For front of house, retailers can download stickers for store windows and fridges saying: “Don’t worry if my lights are off, I’m just saving energy.”
Lockie explained Nisa is also in discussions with a new electronic shelf label supplier, which would make the technology available for retailers when developing their stores. She said electronic shelf labels would help retailers maximise staff efficiency and reduce paper waste.
Nisa has also made Co-op’s insurance plan available to retailers for the first time with a 10% discount. This covers elements such as business interruption, stock insurance and public liability.
“It’s all about working with a number of services, suppliers and the Co-op to look at cost savings that utilise innovation to drive down retailers’ operating costs,” said Lockie.
The cost-saving drive follows a £6m investment by Nisa earlier this year that reduced the wholesale price of more than 1,000 branded drink and tobacco products. In September, the symbol group invested another £5m to bring down the prices of Co-op own-label products.
“During the pandemic, retailers were shopping all over the place because they were desperate for products,” said Lockie. “Now, we’re resetting those habits and bringing back loyalty by making sure our proposition is compelling enough so retailers spend with Nisa.”
Lockie said retailers buying more Co-op own label was helping them boost their community efforts, with each product bought generating a one pence contribution to Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally charity.
“It’s having a really positive impact because as retailers expand their own-label range, it means their community pot gets bigger and they’ve got more to give to the cause of their choice,” said Lockie.
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