How far do retailers have to go to adjust to Scottish tastes and sympathies? Or are the Scots coming into line with the preferences of the rest of mainland Britain asks Gillian Law Scotland's different, say retailers. People buy and eat very different food to the rest of the UK and retailers have to take that into account if they want to serve their Scottish customers well. All the multiples have Scottish marketing directors' or similar to oversee operations and make sure the Scottish consumer gets what they want. But is it really that different? Dig beneath the surface and it seems that, beyond a tendency to buy more cakes, sweets and tattie scones, the Scottish shopper is becoming more and more like consumers across the rest of the UK. The current focus on Scotland is probably as much political as market-oriented: ever since the Scottish Parliament was set up, it's become more important to show an appreciation of things Scottish. Sales of traditional Scottish brands are in fact slipping away, says Tesco's Scottish marketing director Sean Edgely. "The market is significantly different in terms of tastes and brands," he says, but that's slowly changing "under the massive marketing campaigns of the mainstream UK brands". Even Tennent's Lager is having to invest in advertising to keep its huge market share, says Edgely ­ something that wouldn't have been necessary five years ago. "Golden Wonder crisps, too, which have always been strong in Scotland, are now losing out to Walkers' strong advertising campaigns." And some traditional products ­ like herring in oatmeal ­ have just had to be dropped altogether because no one is buying them anymore, he says. "Scotland is slower to change than everywhere else, but manufacturers can't take their market for granted," he warns. Jonathon Tait, director of Scottish Enterprise's Food and Drink division, says he's watched the appearance of Scottish representatives at each multiple, and a focus' on Scotland develop, but isn't entirely sure why it's happening. "There's certainly a greater emphasis on regionalisation and looking at smaller suppliers." And the focus on Scotland is, on the whole, a good thing, "but it depends whether they increase the number of listings, buying from more suppliers, or just raise the volumes from a few. "Rationalisation of suppliers is still an issue for them." Tait also warns of the dangers of ghettoisation' ­ suppliers have to be careful they don't become just Scottish' suppliers. "Many companies I talk to don't want to be seen as particularly Scottish ­ they just happen to be based here." Safeway has a very strong focus on regionalisation. Scottish operations director Brian McColl says the company has ordered £660m of products from Scottish suppliers this year ­ up 10% on last year and a rise of £100m since 1997. "We've empowered stores to advertise and promote themselves locally so they can target their shoppers better." At Tesco, Edgely says customers do demand Scottish produce and will question managers if it's not there ­ but they won't pay any extra for it. "Our buyers are often stuck between the suppliers, who say they can get a premium for Scottish produce, and the reality which is that customers just want the cheapest prices." Sainsbury is also making attempts to focus on Scottish produce, although its presence in Scotland is small. Its national regional sourcing plan began in Scotland, says a spokeswoman, with buyers hired specifically to find good Scottish suppliers. The convenience store sector is strong in Scotland, a fact which has attracted London based Londis to move into the market. Brian McCaughey is one of three business development manager hired over the past six months to find stores interested in operating under the Londis fascia and help them become established. There hasn't been a serious alternative to Spar and Mace until now, he claims. Eleven Londis stores have opened in Scotland since recruiting began in March. They are currently being supplied from a distribution centre in the north of England, but a local centre may be built if the demand is high enough. A Londis forecourt store in Clydebank recently opened in partnership with Texaco and Wimpy. Owner Saleem Akhtahr already has two stores, one of which is a Spar store and one independent. He decided to go with Londis, he says, as an experiment to see what a different symbol group would offer and, so far, he says he has been pleased with the service he's received. Londis has helped with store design and layout, financing and promotion. But Scotland's a difficult market to break into, says Aberness Foods retail director Graeme Hay, and he reckons Londis will find it tough going. "We've heard a lot about them coming in but there's not a lot of visibility. I think it'll be hard for them to break through." Aberness Foods ­ the Mace wholesaler for Scotland ­ is growing, he says, particularly on the retail side. Its aim is to become a "retail company with a distribution arm" and so Aberness is on the acquisition trail for new Mace stores. New initiatives include trial internet terminals in six stores, and acting as a delivery point for internet orders. "Customers can order wine, or a washing machine, and have it delivered to the store," says Hay. "Then if they decide they don't want it, they can return it via the store." Costcutter's Scottish regional manager Jock Clark says business has been "very buoyant" recently and he doesn't expect Londis' arrival on the scene to affect Costcutter badly. The Scottish market is one you have to get to know, he says, and there's no one Scottish' consumer because they vary across the country. In the north-east, for example, cakes, buns and fancies' are huge business. Eating habits are different there, he says, with people having their main meal during the day and then tea' in the evening, which is often something sweet. "You see the difference between country people and city people," he says, with the city people quicker to move to new, non-Scottish brands. {{Z SUPPLEMENTS }}