The convenience-store market is growing faster than the grocery market as a whole. That’s comforting, but I think that the headline figures only tell part of the story about how local shops are developing.

At the risk of arguing against our own organisation, I think the whole idea of the ‘convenience store’ needs challenging and re-defining. Here’s why.

People are living longer and starting families later, and as a result they are living on their own for longer. Single people live less-structured lives, a far cry from the stereotyped 1980s image of shopping in a hideous out-of-town retail park every Tuesday, putting the 2.4 kids to bed and settling down on the new leather three-piece suite to watch Coronation Street.

Nowadays, consumers are more likely to shop little and often, buying fresh food and deciding what to eat, and where to eat it, far later. It is this social change that has fuelled the growth in our market, but that doesn’t mean a boom for every small shop. I think it represents a massive opportunity for retailers who offer not just convenience, but a genuinely credible local food offer.

Last year, sales of fresh produce in our sector overtook sales of confectionery. Of course customers want to treat themselves with a chocolate bar from time to time, but the real prize is in becoming a destination for people who want healthy, whole ingredients and a strong grocery range. Retailers will only truly rise with the local shopping tide if they can offer proper food locally.

That lays down a challenge for the many thousands of independent convenience stores, and for the fresh produce supply chain. Are growers, markets and wholesalers doing all they can to educate retailers about this opportunity, and the standards required to become a credible fresh produce retailer?

Put yourself in the mind of a local retailer who has traded his way to a living on ambient and non-perishable products. It’s hardly surprising that they can be put off by the risks and the wastage that comes, at least initially, with selling fresh produce.

Smaller pack sizes, advice on stock rotation and ranging, marketing help to project the right image in store, and logistics support can all play a part in growing produce sales in small stores. Of course many members of the fresh produce industry are doing many of these things. However, if we really think about the opportunity in local retailers, there must be more opportunities to seek out.

These potentially important business partners need to be nurtured, because their market opportunity is one that could benefit the whole of the fresh produce industry. —