Better Retailing LIVE launches

Better Retailing LIVE will show independent retailers how to get their share of the £10.6bn local convenience opportunity

A new event aimed at helping independent shopkeepers grow their business in 2015 and beyond was launched at the NFRN national council in Southampton this month.

Supported by the 15,000 members of the NFRN, Better Retailing LIVE brings together the Independent Retail Show and the Local Shop Summit at EventCity, Manchester on 5 and 6 October.

“I am always looking to improve my business and IRS helped me look at it from the outside in,” Billingham retailer Martin Ward said after the launch in Southampton.

“I met a wide range of companies and managed to secure two new suppliers. I’m already looking forward to Better Retailing LIVE, especially the retailer study tour.”

An aim of Better Retailing LIVE is to challenge forward-looking symbol and non-affiliated retailers to capture the opportunity provided by change in UK shoppers’ buying patterns, said Hayley Pavlou, head of events at Newtrade.

Experts forecast that the convenience market will grow by £10.6bn in the next five years* as consumers abandon the supermarkets. But local retailers will have to battle on-line shopping and the discounters for their share of the top up spend.

“The IRS is just one of our features designed to connect retailers and suppliers,” said Mrs Pavlou. “We also have the Local Shop Summit, a conference by retailers for retailers, and a study tour where category-leading suppliers can give actionable advice based on a tour of local stores.”

In 2013, more than £6.7million of sales commitments were made at the IRS, independent research from Explori shows, and 82% of attendees travelled from outside Manchester to source new suppliers, to purchase new products and to identify new opportunities to grow their sales.

“We will deliver more of the same,” said Mrs Pavlou. “The October timing means this is the last chance this year for retailers to benefit from thought leadership to develop their businesses in 2015.

“While 72% of retailers who visited IRS last year say they will return, the support of the NFRN to drive more visitors is really welcome.”

Retailers and suppliers can sign up for Better Retailing LIVE at Better Retailing/LIVE.