As we look ahead to this year, there are lots of things that we need to prepare for and think about if we’re not going to get caught out. The Euros is a big deal, but it will depend on what time the games kick off as to whether they’re successful for us or not.

I think the disposables question will keep getting pushed back even as suppliers and retailers change their approaches. They’ll talk about reducing the number of flavours available and introducing things like plain packaging because the problem at the moment is the flavours that attract kids to try to buy them in shops when they shouldn’t. The election could have a big impact on the national mood, and if Labour win, it could give people a lift.

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What I’d most like to see this year, however, is more collaboration between retailers. When I get the chance, I go to ACS events and similar meet-ups. It’s great because you get to interact with the people you want to meet. The retailers you’ve seen highlighted in betterretailing.com or on social media. The ones you’ve read columns and articles by and learnt insights from. You know that you can talk to them and get something useful from them. So, my major plan for 2024 is to go to more events if I can because they’re there to help us. Of course, like everything else, there’s the constraint of needing to have the staff to cover you while you’re away.

That will be harder in 2024 because the National Living Wage is going up again. So the question for us will be how do we keep our staff on and how do we pay them the right amount? We’ll be looking at where we can find that extra 10% plus tax from our sales to accommodate the increase. It’s a shame that the government can pass a living-wage increase that affects small businesses, but not do the same for nurses and doctors.

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