Convenience Store

About Convenience Store

Convenience Store is the leading trade magazine for the UK convenience retail sector, published by William Reed Ltd from Broadfield Park, Crawley. Launched in 1985, it serves the independent retailers, symbol groups, forecourt operators and suppliers who make up Britain's convenience market — a sector worth tens of billions of pounds and comprising tens of thousands of stores. Its website is conveniencestore.co.uk.

The title was one of William Reed's most successful launches: by the end of the twentieth century its circulation exceeded even that of the company's flagship The Grocer. Today the brand combines the magazine with daily online news and a major events portfolio — including the National Convenience Show — cementing its position at the heart of the convenience sector.

Launched 1985

Convenience Store was launched in 1985 by William Reed, at a time when the convenience sector was emerging as a distinct and dynamic part of British retailing. The company had been expanding its title range since the 1970s — with Off License News in 1970 and the acquisition of Cash and Carry News in 1974 — and the new magazine gave the fast-growing convenience channel its own dedicated journal.

The launch proved inspired. The 1980s and 1990s saw the convenience sector professionalise rapidly, with symbol groups, forecourt shops and neighbourhood stores becoming sophisticated retail businesses. Convenience Store grew with the sector it served, and by the end of the century its circulation was higher than that of The Grocer itself — a remarkable achievement for what had begun as a specialist spin-off.

Serving the Convenience Sector

The magazine serves the full convenience ecosystem: independent retailers, symbol and franchise operators, convenience multiples, forecourt retailers, wholesalers and the suppliers and manufacturers who sell through the channel. Its journalism covers the issues that determine retailers' fortunes: ranging and merchandising, promotions, legislation on tobacco, alcohol and HFSS products, business rates, crime and shoplifting, energy costs, technology and the competitive threat from the discounters and online.

The brand's market intelligence — including its long-running partnership with IGD on the UK Convenience Outlook reports — has made it an authoritative source on the sector's economics: tracking store numbers, sales growth by fascia type, and the consolidation trends reshaping the market.

William Reed's Retail Portfolio

Convenience Store sits within William Reed's retail publishing portfolio alongside The Grocer — the company's flagship since 1862 — and Forecourt Trader. Together the titles give William Reed ownership of the leading media across grocery, convenience and forecourt retailing, in the words of the company's own leadership.

The portfolio's strength lies in its specialisation: each title serves a distinct channel with dedicated journalism, while sharing the group's commercial, events and data capabilities. For suppliers seeking to reach the trade, the combination offers unrivalled access to the decision-makers of British food retailing.

Events: The National Convenience Show

William Reed organises the National Convenience Show — one of the leading independent trade exhibitions for the sector — alongside the Farm Shop & Deli Show and the Forecourt Show. These events bring retailers face to face with manufacturers, offering product discovery, business insight and networking.

The group's commitment to live events was underlined by its acquisition of the Pro-Retail trademark from the administrators of Palmer & Harvey, the wholesaler that went into administration in late 2017. Pro-Retail had been P&H's trade show; William Reed's purchase, in the words of divisional managing director Andrew Reed, enabled it to grow its market-leading position for independent trade shows in the convenience and forecourt sectors.

Digital Presence

Conveniencestore.co.uk carries the brand's journalism online with daily news for the convenience sector — from retailer success stories and category management advice to breaking stories on legislation, crime and market developments. The website extends the magazine's reach to the thousands of retailers who rely on digital channels for their business information.

The digital operation complements the magazine with the immediacy the trade expects: news as it happens, searchable archives and the practical content — ranging guides, legal advice, business-building features — that helps independent retailers compete.

Championing Independent Retailers

At its heart Convenience Store is the champion of the independent convenience retailer — the family businesses and local entrepreneurs who form the backbone of the sector. Its journalism gives these retailers a voice in the industry's debates, practical help in running their businesses, and recognition through its coverage and events.

The title has tracked the independents' challenges across four decades: competition from the multiples, the rise of the symbol groups, regulatory burdens, and the changing shopping habits that have, paradoxically, favoured the convenience mission of top-up shopping and local service. Through it all, the magazine has argued the independents' case.

Convenience Store Today

Forty years after its 1985 launch, Convenience Store remains the journal of Britain's convenience sector — the title that grew from a specialist launch into a circulation leader, and from a magazine into a multimedia brand of publishing, digital media and events.

Published by William Reed from Crawley and online at conveniencestore.co.uk, it continues to do what it has always done: keep the convenience trade informed, connected and celebrated — from the independent corner shop to the biggest symbol groups in the land.

Launched 1985: Outselling The Grocer

Convenience Store was launched in 1985 by William Reed as a dedicated magazine for the UK's convenience retail sector — and it proved one of the company's most successful launches, boasting a circulation even higher than Reed's flagship The Grocer by the end of the century. As the sister magazine of The Grocer within the William Reed portfolio, it serves the independent retailers, symbol groups and forecourt shops at the heart of Britain's high streets and neighbourhoods.

The title has been an award-winner in its own right: its "Zero tolerance" campaign took honours at the industry awards, while former editor Tony Hurren received a special lifetime achievement award for his service to the sector's journalism. Through conveniencestore.co.uk it delivers daily news, category advice and business-building content to convenience retailers nationwide.

The Convenience Retail Awards

Convenience Store runs the Convenience Retail Awards, the sector's night of nights. The 2021 winners, revealed at The Londoner hotel, saw David Charman's Spar Parkfoot in Kent crowned Convenience Retailer of the Year and Amit Puntambekar's Ash's Shop in Cambridgeshire take Small Convenience Store of the Year. Categories span Best Chilled Food Retailer, Off Licence Retailer of the Year, In-store Services Retailer of the Year, Food to Go Retailer of the Year, Best Use of Technology, Best Customer Service, Community Retailer of the Year and Best Communication to Shoppers — plus special awards including Retailer's Retailer of the Year, the Lifetime Achievement Award and Product of the Year. A 2016 ceremony at 155 Bishopsgate in London drew finalists from across the trade.

Sales Assistant of the Year

The magazine also organises the Sales Assistant of the Year Award — a William Reed tradition stretching back to 1979 — celebrating the shop-floor staff who define convenience retail. In 2016 Tracie Horner of Spar Carrowdore in Northern Ireland was announced as the winner at a ceremony at the Dorchester in London, recognised for the customer service that keeps local shoppers loyal. It is one more way Convenience Store champions every level of the sector it serves.