Rice Marketing

18/04/2024

I was delighted to join the London Borough of Lambeth at the GLA School Superzones event to present our work with convenience stores in the School Superzones of Oval and Brixton Hill. I was able to share some great results including more healthier products on the shelves and commitment from retailers to continue to stock healthier lines.

This is thanks to the support from wholesaler Bestway and Bimpe Oki at Lambeth Council.

By establishing this partnership we were able to organise the initial delivery of free stock of healthier options for retailers in their network.

The results speak for themselves, proving out our approach that providing free stock builds retailer confidence that healthier products do sell and are good for business.

08/09/2021

Along with my esteemed panel of fellow judges I am very much looking forward to reviewing the 2021 submissions for the Scottish Local Retailer Magazine Awards.

Recognising the amazing efforts of local retailers, here is this year's short list https://www.slrawards.com

12/08/2021

Very pleased to be one of the local partners supporting the awesome team Wen. Women's Environmental Network with their (Just a Food And Climate Transition) programme.

Launched in July with clear objectives to tackle food poverty and the climate emergency, WEN and their partners are empowering communities to lead the research and take collective action to build fairer, healthier and more sustainable food systems.

The project is piloting in London Borough of Tower Hamlets where over half of children are estimated to live in poverty and suffer from some of the highest pollution in the capital.

The current situation is summarised well by Ell McAll, Just FACT PM

“Food is at the heart of our lives. But the food system in the UK is failing people and the planet. Food production, transport, packaging and waste are huge contributors to the UK’s carbon emissions. And at the same time, millions of people across the UK are struggling to feed their families. It’s just not good enough.”

Recent polling data YouGov Surveys supports this need for change - four in five (85%) people believe it’s important to reduce the environmental impact of the UK’s food system – yet moving to more sustainable options means overcoming barriers of cost, culture and accessibility.

So what is the programme doing?
Together, we’ll create an ecosystem of locally-led food projects, with Community Labs testing and scaling up solutions across the borough. Partners in the project so far include a food coop, a design collective, community centres, a local climate action group, low waste living experts, youth leaders and many more.

And Rice Marketing?
We are working with market traders in the borough to find a way to remove the need for plastic bags without hurting their business. We believe that there is a real opportunity to work collaboratively with traders and the Council to come up with a bold plan that could remove up to 2 million plastic bags in Chrisp Street market alone across the year.

Running over five years with funding from The National Lottery Community Fund the project ambition is to create a genuinely ground-breaking model that can be rolled out in other urban areas.



Curious to find out more?
Go to https://www.wen.org.uk/just-fact/

30/03/2021

Our pilot with Bestway Wholesale supported by FWD and in parternship with Impact on Urban Health is focussed on educating retailers that there is a consumer demand for healthier food and that healthy doesn’t mean expensive or niche products, rather small nudges, think Alpro, think The Coca-Cola Company Zero.

By configuring layout and adding promotional material in the wholesale depot we put healthier choices to the forefront - clearly stating the commercial benefit to retailers and resulting in an uplift in sales by 7000 cases.

This project has demonstrated that healthy options are good for business and we will be working with the FWD and Impact on Urban Health to share this important message, as well as bringing together key wholesalers and suppliers to grow the share of healthier options nationwide.

Read the full report here
https://lnkd.in/dkSspnR



Find out more about what we do www.ricemarketing.co.uk

15/03/2021

Convenience stores have been essential to many throughout lockdown.

A YouGov poll from July showed that 38% of UK shoppers had shopped locally for food & drink due to the initial lockdown restrictions. Of those 70% said they would continue to do so once restrictions lift.

As restrictions ease, now is the time for these stores to adapt to ensure customers stay local in the future.

The convenience sector underwent a massive shift during the Covid-19 pandemic, as more consumers shopped locally. Square examines how convenience retailers can prepare for beyond lockdown

09/03/2021

Enjoyed presenting, on today's webinar, our approach and findings from the Good Food Retail programme.

There is clear evidence of consumer desire for healthier food choices but often the people in most need are not able to access or afford to make them. Engaging retailers to offer healthier options is a no1 challenge for councils so our role was to help the independent retailers to see the economic benefits of doing so.

Communication & promotion was key to the rollout in Kingston. Creating supply by working with independent retailers to show how the scheme can bring more footfall to their door, how to bundle and promote offers so they can supply the right products at competitive prices and limit the impact on margins. Generating demand by making eligible families aware they can claim vouchers and use them in their local stores.

The initiative was piloted in 6 London Boroughs back in 2019 and has rolled out to a further 5 in 2020 (in spite of the pandemic). It is part of London Food Link for Sustain: The Alliance For Better Food And Farming
food and farming in conjunction with the GLA and Guy's and St Thomas'​ Charity

We look forward to continuing the programme and will be sharing our full report soon.

08/03/2021

It has probably not gone unnoticed that today is International Women's Day. A day to say 'thank you' to all the women who have gone before and a time to commit to continuing to make positive change.

Here at Rice Marketing we are an all women run business and we We do what we do because we are passionate about helping food wholesalers, retailers and consumers create a Good Food Economy.

Starting with the premise that everyone has the right to eat healthily, we work with initiatives across London to shine a light on health issues such as obesity and food poverty and help to solve them. Through education, and connecting food partners together, we can create a Good Food Economy that offers healthy food choices accessible to all.

Good for health, good for the planet and also good for profits.

International Women's Day

05/03/2021

Looking forward to presenting on the Good Food Economy at this webinar on 9th March with Sustain: The Alliance For Better Food And Farming

The webinar is for people working in and with local authorities, food partnerships, local economic partnerships, and anyone interested in creating a good food economy through practical work with retailers.

Sign up link below and look forward to seeing you there.
https://www.sustainweb.org/webinars/feb21-good-food-economy/

This webinar is for people working in and with local authorities, food partnerships, local economic partnerships, and anyone interested in creating a good food economy through practical work with retailers.

18/12/2020

Wishing all our colleagues, clients, customers and community a very happy holiday season.

We have very much enjoyed working with you this year.
Looking forward with positivity to 2021!

16/12/2020

As London moves into Tier 3 today it's difficult to see beyond the restrictions. But looking back there are positive changes that can and have been achieved, even under lockdown conditions, to future-proof our local high streets.

The innovation that came out of the The Blue Bermondsey BID response to Covid saw a boost in retailers income during lockdown and many of the changes are still in operation today.

https://www.ricemarketing.co.uk/post/recovery-packages-for-our-local-high-streets

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The Blue Bermondsey BID response to lockdown and boosting retail business income during lockdown COVID-19 has shaken businesses out of complacency but also provided many opportunities for long-term growth provided local businesses are bold enough to adapt.

11/12/2020

Great to have the support of local councillors too at our launch of the Good Food Retail Plan.

Thank you to Cllr Danny Thorpe and Cllr Miranda Williams for making this work for both business owners and local residents.

11/12/2020

Excited to have launched the Good Food Retail Plan in Plumstead.

Supported by The Mayor of London, Sustain U.K. and The Royal Borough of Greenwich we took the ‘healthy basket’ model and enabled stores to benchmark their offer, to improve availability and to pass on better prices to their customers.

Proud to see the project picked up in the press. Good news for Plumstead and well-deserved coverage for some great independent stores.

This is just the start of a bigger conversation around food and the role of convenience stores and their wholesalers in the borough.