Customers at Scotmid stores across Scotland are set to benefit from clearer product pricing and information thanks to investment by the convenience retailer into new electronic shelf labels (ESLs)
The integrated technology, which will display accurate pricing and promotion details – as well as extended information such as allergens and country of origin – allows customers to make easy and fully informed decisions on their product purchases.
Customers and staff at stores involved in the trialling of the ESLs, experienced increased efficiency, reduced paper wastage and an enhanced store team morale. Scotmid now plans to install the digital labels in further stores across its estate.
The investment comes at a time when Scotmid is looking to drive store change through technology and adopt sustainable practices that reduce the need for paper usage.
Allan Robertson Programme Manager, Innovation and Change at Scotmid said: “As a retailer based in the heart of communities we serve, we continually look for innovative solutions which will deliver genuine benefits for our customers as well as our colleagues.
“These electronic labels look tidy and modern and mean that we can present our price and product information more clearly for customers.”
Steven Cannon, Branch Supervisor of a trial store, said: “The feedback from our team and customers has been fantastic. Overnight updates mean the store is customer-ready as soon as we switch the system on each morning.
“Without manual price and promotion tasks to complete and check, we have more time to assist and serve customers.”
The technology is manufactured by SoluM, a Samsung invested company, with the supply and installation carried out by Cambridge based Technology Integrator Herbert Retail.
Scotmid and Herbert Retail are members of the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS).
Gaming champion Kem Cetinay at St James Quarter Meet & Eat surprise drop TONIGHT
Gaming and doughnut fans around the world have been going wild for the new Krispy Kreme x Xbox collab drop and they want more – and Krispy Kreme with Xbox are SO here for it!
New research by Krispy Kreme revealed that re-connecting since lockdown restrictions ended has been a balm to Brits, as 75% admitted they’ve made more of an effort to do so in recent weeks. To support this, Krispy Kreme and Xbox continue their collaborate with a series of incredible drops hitting Krispy Kreme stores across the nation.
Within the research, the doughnut retailer found:
For a third of Brits, the warm, sweet smell of doughnuts is the ultimate smile-generator
For 25% of us, simply the look of a doughnut can create a smile
Almost half of Brits (44%) love to share food with loved ones
Gamer and doughnut fan Kem Cetinay, nominated as the ‘gamifying doughnuts master’ will be popping up at the Krispy Kreme store in St James Quarter, Edinburgh tonight to serve up doughnuts and Xbox Series S consoles, and will be on hand to share his cheeky smile for some Covid-safe customer selfies (for over 18’s or those with an adult).
It’ll be game on in stores! Fans aged over 18 or accompanied by an adult will get the chance to get on an Xbox Series S console and challenge Kem to his favourite games on Xbox Games Pass (socially distanced)… if they win, an Xbox Series S immediate win is promised to one lucky winner, as well as the glory!
Catch Kem Cetinay for the Meet & Eat surprise drop in Edinburgh between 5.30pm – 7.00pm this evening at the Krispy Kreme store in St James Quarter.
The Nexus Level Doughnuts – created specially to celebrate Xbox’s 20th anniversary will be on sale for a limited time only until 22nd August.
The campaign will see each dozen purchase of The Nexus Level Doughnuts rewarded with a complimentary 1-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Membership, plus the chance to win an Xbox Series S Console. Once they’re gone, they’re really gone so get them while you can!
The campaign will see each dozen purchase of The Nexus Level Doughnuts rewarded with a complimentary 1-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Membership, plus the chance to win an Xbox Series S Console.
Once they’re gone, they’re really gone so get them while you can!
Stay tuned to the following channels to find out when and where you can get your hands on prizes and to meet Kem:
As the current plan comes to an end, it’s time to explore opportunities, hopes and aspirations for the next 3 years.
Help make sure the community and voluntary sector has a voice in this process, by getting involved in this discussion.
You’re invited to have a say on Edinburgh’s Community Learning and Development Plan for 2021 – 2024.
About this event
You might ask yourself what is Community Learning & Development (CLD) and why is it important for my group or organisation to have a say in future planning?
The ambition for the Edinburgh CLD plan is to make a positive difference for the citizens and communities of the City and the organisations in the community / voluntary sector work with children, young people and adults to do just that.
That means it’s essential that our sector plays a part in strategic planning in areas like adult learning, youthwork, community centres, communities and citizens who are seldom heard and so much more.
THE EVENT
Paul McCloskey (CEC Lifelong Learning Strategic Manager – CLD and Libraries), Laurene Edgar (LAYC Director and Edinburgh Community Learning and Development Partnership Chair) will lead this event.
They’ll take you through the plan and the potential for this to be a key aspect of the development of citizens and communities in Edinburgh.
You will also have the chance to join in 2 of the following themed breakout groups:
Adult Learning
Community Centres
Youthwork
Seldom Heard Communities & Voices
EVENT LINK
Registration for this event closes TODAY – Wednesday 18 August at 6pm.
You will receive an email through Eventbrite by 9am on Thu 19 Aug that includes the Zoom link for this event.
If you don’t receive this email please get in touch, but we recommend checking your email junk folder: esther.currie@evoc.org.uk
We are delighted to announce that Edinburgh’s Inspiring Volunteer Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday 1st September 2021.
Now in its fifteenth year, Edinburgh’s Inspiring Volunteer Awards reflect the exceptional range of organisations and individuals working in the city’s vibrant charity and non-profit sectors.
A wide age range was represented and awardees came from across the broad spectrum of cultures that make up our ever more diverse city.
This event is by invitation only, with numbers being limited of who can attend.
We have published all details of this event and announced winners in all special categories on our website.
Please visit our website by clicking on the link here.
If you would like to post about the awards on social media please use the hashtag #iva2021.
We also have another event on22nd September. This is our Volunteer Recruitment Fair and details can be found by clicking on the link here.
The Poverty Alliance have launched Weathering the Storm, a summary report from the Get Heard Scotland (GHS) programme in 2020/21.
GHS is a programme coordinated by the Poverty Alliance and funded by the Scottish Government as part of Every Child Every Chance, the Scottish Government’s Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan.
GHS is designed to help people on low incomes get their voices heard on the policies and decisions that most impact their lives and their communities.
Get Heard Scotland gathers evidence on the experience of poverty, from people who are living on low incomes, as well as from organisations and groups working on the ground to help address poverty. Crucially, it focuses on the solutions needed to loosen the grip of poverty on people’s lives.
The report that has been published today covers GHS engagement in 2020/21, which focused primarily on the local authority areas of Inverclyde and Renfrewshire. Covering issues like mental health, employment, food insecurity, digital access, debt, and social security, it provides an overview of the experiences of people living on low incomes – as well as of organisations working with people on low incomes – during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Peter Kelly, Director, Poverty Alliance, said: “Over the last 18 months, the grip of poverty has tightened on the lives of people across Scotland. But it is important to remember that, even before the pandemic, over one million people in Scotland were living in that grip.
“We know that not just listening to – but acting on – the voices and experiences of people living in poverty is key to ending poverty in Scotland. So we are pleased to publish this report today, that focuses primarily on Inverclyde and Renfrewshire but which has relevance for every part of the country.
“In both local authorities, there has been a genuine desire to find more effective ways of meaningfully involving people with experience of poverty in shaping local anti-poverty policy. We hope that the work as part of Get Heard Scotland will have contributed towards making participatory policy making the norm in the future.”
Scotland is taking its first steps on the road to establishing a Scottish Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG).
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison will today co-chair the first meeting of a new steering group to drive forward the ambitious new policy with the aim of reducing poverty, inequality and insecurity.
Ms Robison has also launched a consultation to gather views on how establishing a Minimum Income Guarantee – which would provide an assurance that everyone would have enough money to live a dignified, healthy and financially secure life – could be designed and delivered in Scotland.
The announcement meets another commitment for the first 100 days of this government, which was elected on 6 May.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Ms Robison said: “We are committed to progressing the delivery of a Minimum Income Guarantee, which could be revolutionary in our fight against poverty. It is a clear demonstration of our ambition and aspiration for Scotland.
“The policy is innovative, bold and radical. It reflects our clear desire to do everything with our limited powers to deliver the change needed, using every lever at our disposal.
“Eradicating child poverty and building a fairer, more equal country must be a national mission, not just for the government, but our parliament and broader society.
“We recognise this is a cross-government responsibility and we are focused on working together to push forward poverty reduction in Scotland.
“We must look at ways of maximising household incomes from work and social security, as well as reducing costs on essentials including services such as childcare.
“Introducing a Minimum Income Guarantee will not be easy and it will not happen overnight, but there is a willingness to deliver on our ambition.”
The steering group will be co-chaired by Russell Gunson, Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research in Scotland, which published a report earlier this year on how a future Minimum Income Guarantee could look.
Mr Gunson said: “A Minimum Income Guarantee could transform the lives of people across Scotland, setting an income floor in Scotland beneath which no one would fall.
“To build a fairer and stronger Scotland following Covid-19 we will need to think big ideas in Scotland and think just as big on how to implement them.
“The MIG Steering Group is a great step, bringing cross-party representatives and experts from across Scotland together to shape a Minimum Income Guarantee and make progress on delivering it.
“I’m delighted to be co-chair and look forward to working hard together to see tangible progress towards delivering a Minimum Income Guarantee for Scotland over the coming years.”
Council’s Capital Coalition to outline next steps for Spaces for People Travelling Safely programme
The city council’s Transport and Environment Committee will hear an update on the future of measures introduced to help people walk, cycle and wheel safely during the COVID pandemic on Thursday (19 August).
Under the Travelling Safely programme (formerly Spaces for People) steps are being taken to retain some schemes on an experimental basis, to remove others post-pandemic and to engage further with communities on options for a handful of measures – and those proposals have come in for plenty of stick, too.
Following approval by full Council to extend the lifespan of many interventions, officers are carrying out a ‘technical review’ of the changes. This involves detailed scheme reviews and considering comments received during public consultation and, where appropriate, improving designs. Engagement and design sessions will then be carried out with key stakeholders including the emergency services, public transport operators and access groups.
As agreed by Council, a number of schemes – Lanark Road, Comiston Road, Braid Road and Drum Brae North – will be subject to more detailed consideration and engagement with local communities to develop options for their retention or modification. A report on these will be brought to committee in October.
In line with a motion to Council in June, future plans for George IV Bridge have been considered.
Three options have been put forward – retaining the current scheme; revisions to the design, including moving segregation closer to the kerb and adding kerbside loading areas; or removing the scheme entirely.
Removing the scheme and reinstating the original road layout has been recommended to improve access for public transport and local businesses’ deliveries.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “Over the last year and a half the Spaces for People programme has helped people to travel safely by bike while restrictions were in place on public transport, given room for parents to drop their children at school while physically distancing and provided much-needed space for exercise during the depths of lockdown, amongst other benefits.
“Now, as restrictions are lifted, we’re looking to the future of these changes, and how they can support people to make journeys by foot, bike or wheel. Right now, officers are working hard to review and improve those schemes being retained longer term, to engage with community members on those where further development is needed and carefully plan for the removal of measures that we agreed to wind down.”
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “Thanks to feedback to the major consultation carried out earlier this year we’ve been able to carefully assess the schemes we’re planning to keep on an experimental basis for any changes that could be made.
“We’re also continuing to listen to residents, businesses and public transport operators. As a result we’re planning to make some immediate amendments to schemes to make sure they work for everyone, particularly as traffic levels return to normal.”
It is proposed that measures approved for removal, primarily in town centres, should be taken out after the festival, in line with Scottish Government guidance.
This will involve careful planning and communication with stakeholders, in particular organisations like the RNIB and Guide Dogs Scotland. Some immediate changes are recommended, such as the removal of the widened footpath on St John’s Road, due to the likely impact on bus services.
While schemes introduced around schools, such as motor traffic restrictions, have been largely set aside over the summer, the majority will be reinstated around term start dates in August. Over the coming months the Road Safety team will undertake a review of measures around schools to consider retaining them by appropriate traffic orders.
HR & Recruitment had the biggest bounce back in jobs compared to July last year
Job opportunities in HR & Recruitment swelled to more than triple the average increase for all sectors
The Transport/ Logistics/ Warehouse industry saw the second highest increase
The HR & Recruitment industry has seen the greatest increase in job opportunities over the past year, new research has revealed.
The study, conducted by advertising experts N.Rich, analysed official job advertisement data from the ONS and Adzuna, comparing the year-on-year increase in job ads across 29 different industries between July 2020 and July 2021.
Results indicated that HR & Recruitment boasts an annual increase of 544% jobs advertised – more than three times the average increase for all UK industries (171%).
The Transport / Logistics / Warehouse industry has seen the second highest increase in job opportunities, with a 437% annual increase.
Rounding out the top three of highest annual increase of jobs advertised via Adzuna job boards were those for the Catering/ Hospitality industry, with a 425% improvement compared to the same date last year.
Other industries starting to recover include Manufacturing, which has a 420% annual increase in job adverts, putting it in fourth place. Fifth place belongs to the Marketing/ Advertising/ PR industry, with an annual increase in job adverts of 359%.
The lower half of the Top 10 features industries such as Management/ Exec/ Consulting industry (357% annual increase), Constructions/Trades (352%), and Admin/ Clerical/ Secretarial jobs (329% increase). Rounding off the top 10 are the Sales and Wholesale/Retail industries, with increases in job adverts of 292% and 290% respectively.
At the other end of the scale, Healthcare and Social Care saw the lowest increase in openings, going up by just 29% compared to a year previously, while Education also saw a relatively small rise of 52%.
Year-on-year comparison of job adverts across UK by industry – top 10, July 2020 – July 2021
Industry
Year-on-Year percentage increase
1. HR and Recruitment
544.94%
2. Transport/ Logistics/ Warehouse
437.74%
3. Catering and Hospitality
425.21%
4. Manufacturing
420.93%
5. Marketing/ Advertising/ PR
359.00%
6. Management/ Exec/ Consulting
357.13%
7. Construction/ Trades
352.44%
8. Admin/ Clerical/ Secretarial
329.41%
9. Sales
292.32%
10. Wholesale and Retail
290.53%
Average across all industries
171.8%
In addition, the study analysed how job opportunities have changed across the UK’s regions, with the East of England seeing an increase of 242% when comparing the week commencing 16 July 2021 with the same week in 2020.
In second place is the North East with a 223% increase in job adverts, while third place belongs to the West Midlands with a 210% increase in jobs advertised.
London has seen the lowest increase in job opportunities by region compared to July last year, at 134%. North West comes in behind at 167%, followed by the South East with a 168% increase in job adverts.
Year-on-year comparison of job adverts across UK by region, July 2020 – July 2021
UK Region
Year-on-Year percentage increase
1. East of England
242.1%
2. North East
223.2%
3. West Midlands
210.9%
4. East Midlands
205.7%
5. Yorkshire and The Humber
194%
6. South West
171.8%
7. South East
168.7%
8, North West
167.5%
9. London
134.2%
All Regions
171.8%
Year-on-year comparison of job adverts across UK by country, July 2020 – July 2021
UK Region
Year-on-Year percentage increase
1. Northern Ireland
232.5%
2. Wales
180.6%
3. England
176.2%
4. Scotland
159.9%
A spokesperson for N.Rich said, “It is exciting to see that a number of industries are recovering after a gruelling couple of years. It just goes to show that – despite fears of an economic downturn post lockdown – the UK job market remains resilient and robust.”
The study was conducted by N.Rich, which offers a rich array of intent data and ad inventory that enable marketers to drive awareness and lead generation effectively.
Following a holiday to Turkey late last summer, the lives of Malcolm and his wife Janis from Edinburgh were turned upside down.
Hit by food poisoning on the trip, Malcolm spent a week ill in bed. His symptoms only worsened when he returned home to the point where he could no longer feed or clothe himself. Malcolm was soon after diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called Guillain-Barre syndrome and became paralysed from the neck down.
Over Christmas, due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and as Malcolm remained in the hospital, he unable to see any family.
“On Christmas Day I was allowed into the hospital for an hour,” said Janis, Malcolm’s wife. “But no other family members, including his daughters and grandchildren, were able to see him for the ten months he was in hospital.”
Searching for a way to speak with her husband, and a way for him to contact her independently, Janis contacted Gain, the Guillain-Barre syndrome charity. They recommended Amazon Echo as an ideal device for the couple to call each other hands-free.
Malcolm says that Echo and Alexa have made his life easier, reducing the sense of isolation from friends and family during lockdown and hospitalisation, and most importantly bringing him closer to Janis and family members while the pandemic kept them apart.
“The hospital team who looked after me were wonderful, but I missed Janis and the rest of the family,” said Malcolm. “Alexa connected me to a friendly face and a familiar voice and that contact really helped me on tough days.”
Janis is now raising money for the Gain charity by running the equivalent distance between Land’s End and John O’Groats—874 miles in total!
Through his determination and positive attitude, Malcolm can now stand and sit in his wheelchair, and has continued to use Alexa since returning home. Malcolm uses the device for watching his favourite TV programmes and films, listening to audio books, and completing day to day tasks – all using his voice.
“I might never be able to be as active as I was, but technology like Alexa has helped my road to recovery so far. I will never stop attempting to improve and I’m not going to give up,” he said.
Dennis Stansbury, Alexa UK Country Manager, added: “It’s so inspirational to hear Malcolm’s story and we’re proud that Alexa was able to lend a helping hand during what must have been a difficult situation for him and his wife Janis. Alexa is always getting smarter and evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers.”
Over time, Alexa’s skillset has evolved to include features and functionality that can improve the freedom and independence of everyone, including older adults and people with disabilities.
If you have a story of your own about how you use Alexa, Amazon would love to hear it – email AlexaStories@amazon.com or tag Amazon on Twitter and Instagram using #AlexaStories.
