LAUNCHES: A WEALTH OF INNOVATION The show will be the launchpad for stacks of new products ideally suited for c-stores keen to grow and diversify Everything the c-store operator could possibly want to stock or needs to run their business more effectively can be found at the Convenience Retailing Show. With nearly 200 exhibitors the show will be the launchpad for stacks of new products. Ginsters is showing its new World Foods range of chilled ready meals, available in London and the West Midlands with national roll-out later this year. The six dishes include popular international recipes such as beef lasagne (rsp: £2.99), sweet & sour chicken with noodles (rsp: £3.49) and tomato & mozzarella pasta bake (rsp: £3.29). The range is aimed at 16 to 35 year olds seeking immediate meal solutions. Goldstar Meats has an addition to its Rustlers chilled range of microwaveable snack products. Hula Hoops XL, KP Foods' latest extension of its popular snack brand, can be sampled along with a limited edition Digitang flavour of Skips. Mars plans to exclusively preview a new product from Skittles and offer samplings of its latest confectionery launches, Bounty Calapuno and Mars 5 Little Ones. Cott Beverages has two major launches ­ a serious alertness drink for drivers from the RAC, and Del Monte juices in a 250ml can for the convenience market. In alcohol, Sidekick is a single serve fruit flavoured 30ml shot of 20% Schnapps in a PET bottle, making its debut into take home on Bulmers' stand. Fuge has a oriental flavoured Tzu, a natural brew of fruit juice and vinegar. Visitors can sample its unusual flavour on the stand. New soft drinks will be unveiled by Villa Soft Drinks. Thorncroft is launching Thorncroft Mist, a zingy new drink in elderflower and pink ginger flavours. Food Brands Group is offering something really different ­ the SoBe brand of herbal soft drinks, Naked Fruit, a sparkling adult drink, and Rocket Fuel, an instant coffee with natural guarana, a stimulant used for centuries by the Amazonian Indians. Greetings cards are a big seller and to capitalise on this growth, Card Line Greetings is introducing Kidz Kardz, a range of exclusive designs for boys and girls covering the years from one to eight. The company's established range includes a Photographic series, a Classic Gallery collection, innovations such as Square Cards, as well as the humorous Punch Lines and Holly & Friends. Cards are supplied at no initial cost. Retailers only pay for those sold. For the home office, Hinton Corrpak plans to launch a new range of storage and stationery products made from fully recycable materials. Small pet supplies is a growing area. Mr Ben's Pet Supplies is launching fruit flavoured hamster mix, a gourmet concoction of cereals, nuts and raspberries for a favourite pet. It produces the equally delectable Dream Mix for guinea pigs, and Karrot and Apple for rabbits. First-time exhibitor Zig Zag is showing its regular and king size cigarette papers, rolling machines, filter tips and smoking accessories. Relatively new to the UK, the brand claims to be the second biggest seller worldwide and the fastest growing cigarette paper brand in the UK with rapidly rising distribution in c-stores and independents. The Natural American Spirit brand of cigarettes has only been in the UK since 1997, but already has distribution in 600 outlets, including Waitrose and Booths Supermarkets. It now wants to expand distribution in the c-store and independent sector. Distributor Marblehead says the brand is the only 100% additive-free cigarette on the market, a big factor in its strong sales. It is now working on an additive-free hand rolling tobacco. Meanwhile Rothmans plans to launch New Economy handrolling tobacco at the show. It will also offer advice on how to increase profitability by having a targeted range and display. Bake-off has become hugely successful and profitable for c-stores. Delice de France is showing off its new C'est Magnifique bake-off package. This features a new two-tray oven with pre-set bake-off timing for a variety of products, ancillary product bins, and an ample display, plus new point of sale and packaging material, freestanding publicity signs, and staff training. Deliveries are daily. The start up offer includes a price tagging system and assistance with product planning. The company says the retail outlets already using the package are baking up to five times a day, with sales driven by a strong brand identity and the aroma of fresh baking. Other bake-off exhibitors include Country Choice Foods featuring its Bake n' Bite package encompassing over 1,300 bakery, confectionery, savoury and home meal replacement offerings, equipment, PoS material, promotions, technical support and merchandising advice. Leasing packages can provide a low cost route into bake-off. With the growth of chilled products, refrigeration has become increasingly important. A number of leading suppliers are introducing new systems. These include Hussmann (Europe), featuring its new VPS range of integrally driven refrigerated patisserie serve over counters. For stores where space is tight, Wica (UK) has created Ocean Line, a range of narrow chilled and freezer display cabinets. Wica says the cabinets increase product visibility compared to standard cabinets. Caravell (UK) has a new under counter display freezer that offers high storage capacity. It is also featuring its wide range of mini multideck chiller display cases for gondola ends and checkout areas. Verco is launching Verwood, a range of refrigerated glass door and open cabinets with "integrated styling" to provide a lower cost alternative to its premium Richmond/Henley and Cambridge ranges. The new glass door cabinets replace the existing New Verco range. AHT is displaying several new models ranging from ice cream cabinets and bottle coolers to a double sliding door cooler and uprright freezers. Display Tech (Europe) is showing its display, shelf management and merchandising systems which include the Visishelf gravity feed system for glass door coolers. EML is launching a new polycarbonate racking system in a range of profiles, and a display system that fits into a slatwall via an adaptor. BCS is launching its Charisma smartcard loyalty system. This is an entry level system designed to enable companies with only a few retail sites to increase customer loyalty. Independent ATM operator Euronet Worldwide is featuring its new ATM package. Paypoint is featuring its recently launched electronic top up service for Vodafone pre-pay mobile customers. The company says it will soon be able to offer e-top up payments for Orange, BT Cellnet and One2One. Point Four Planet Epos offers scanning systems for any size of shop and is to show its multicurrency feature enabling retailers to accept payments in any currency including the euro. Security specialist ACL is featuring its closed circuit television systems which now include remote monitoring, enabling retailers to view their sites on their personal computers. Another development is till scan, which puts on screen all till transactions so managers can check staff integrity. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}