Best-one, the premium symbol offering from the Bestway Group, has announced a new rebate scheme for retailers, called My Rewards

The new loyalty programme will reward retailers by reimbursing them for store discipline, promotional compliance and spend through the Bestway Group, with the level of rebate being calculated by the retailer’s total spend with Bestway and Batleys. The spend level relates to all sales through the group, including credit, cash sales in depot, drop shipment and web sales.

The company says retailers can earn up to 5% ‘cashback’ on their spend and the entry level has been set at £15,000 per month - or £3,750 per week - the level considered the minimum spend for a best-one retailer. 

The programme is open to all current best-one retailers, who are assessed on current spending levels, but best-one also hopes to attract progressive non-affiliates and other symbol retailers into the best-one estate based on the commercial attractiveness of the rebate system (see below). 

James Hall, director of Symbol Retailing at Bestway, explains, “We know that My Rewards delivers sector-leading rebates to stores but it is more than just giving retailers a kickback for increased sales, although that is a key part of the scheme. It’s all about helping them become greater retail professionals, allowing them the opportunity to plan for the longer term and giving them the opportunity to compete profitably in the increasingly competitive c-store sector.”

The programme is electronically managed and strictly monitored by each retailer’s dedicated best-one Business Development Executive but retailers have to do more than just buy product. Qualifying retailers have to commit to key disciplines in order to achieve the rebate.

Retailers must

• purchase a minimum of £250 on central delivered fresh, chilled and frozen foods

• use one of the group’s nominated drop shipment suppliers for delivered bread and food-to-go purchases

• execute a promotion compliance score of not less than 75% for each promotion period and must purchase promotional stock from the company accepting allocations where applicable

• stock a minimum of 30 own label lines best-sellers across Best-In, Best-In Essentials, licensed, Butcher’s Farm and White Pearl brands

• be prepared to share EPOS data

“At best-one, My Rewards is reinventing the 3Rs - Reward, Retention and Recruitment," stresses Hall. "My Rewards will repay the great work that our best-one retailers are currently doing within their communities, build loyalty to the best-one brand among our estate and entice other retailers to come and have a look at the best-one concepts. It also shows that after another superb year of trading, where best-one has contributed an additional £154m worth of new business to the group’s sales, we are continuing to invest in the growth of best-one fascia and our retailers.”

There are a number of rebate tiers: 

• £15,000 – £19,999 – 1.50%

• £20,000 – £24,999 – 2.50%

• £25,000 - £29,999 – 3.00%

• £30,000 – £34,999 – 3.50%

• £35,000 – £39,999 – 4.00%

• £40,000 – £44,999 – 4.50%

• £45,000+ – 5.00%

Examples of potential earnings:

Retailer A:

Spends £20,000 per month including tobacco purchases of £8,000:

£20,000 total spend less £8,000 tobacco = £12,000 x 2.50% = £300

Retailer B:

Spends £40,000 per month including tobacco purchases of £20,000:

£40,000 total spend less £20,000 tobacco = £20,000 x 4.50% = £900