Birds Eye, the leading frozen food provider, has partnered with *shopt to give 10 independent stores the chance to win a variety of prizes that will help them maximise their frozen food offering and contribute towards rising energy bills. The first-prize winner is set to receive £3,000, including tailored category advice and a variety of Birds Eye, Aunt Bessies and Goodfella’s stock to help them continue maximising the frozen opportunity in their stores. There will also be nine additional cash prizes distributed to the runners up, ranging from £2,000 to £250. As well as nine additional prizes, retailers will receive a £3 reward for stocking Birds Eye products and for every qualifying entry received, Birds Eye will make a £5 donation to GroceryAid.

The competition comes after new research from Birds Eye revealed the significant benefits of the frozen food category for retailers over the past year. The research, conducted by KAM media, surveyed over 200 independent UK retailers and found that 62% of convenience retailers consider frozen food key to their sales mix. 43% of retailers have seen demand for frozen food increase, with more shoppers looking for frozen products as part of their weekly shop. Retailers also favour quality, with 67% stating the importance of stocking well-known quality frozen brands to tap into consumer demand. The research also doesn’t shy away from some of the challenges currently faced by independent retailers.  While the frozen aisle is key to satisfying consumer needs and driving retailer sales, due to increasing energy prices and the cost to keep freezers running, many retailers are finding it a difficult category to justify supporting. In fact, 45% of retailers cite energy bills to be the biggest barrier to success in the frozen category, with the rising cost of running stores impacting the channel.

Joss Bamber, Head of Convenience at Birds Eye, commented: “Frozen food continues to be an essential part of everyday life and demonstrates an opportunity for retailers as we know that historically the frozen food shopper puts more in their basket than the average convenience store shopper and spends more with that. However, we fully recognise that rising energy bills are having an impact on retailers and their ability to make the most of their sales. As leaders of the frozen food category, we’re here to support independent retailers with the right category advice and assistance so they can really reap the benefits of what frozen has to offer.  And with this competition, we hope to demonstrate the benefits of frozen food in this period of economic uncertainty while also reminding retailers of the additional help and support available to them. GroceryAid does an amazing job in providing welfare support to all areas, functions and roles within the grocery industry and we are proud to have the opportunity to promote the services they provide with this competition”.

To be in with a chance of winning, retailers simply need to head to the *shopt app and redeem the Birds Eye competition reward. By uploading an image onto *shopt proving they have purchased one case of three out of five of Birds Eye promotional SKUs*, retailers will receive a £3 reward into their *shopt account and will be automatically entered into the prize draw. For every entry into the prize draw, Birds Eye will donate a further £5 to GroceryAid.

The competition will run from 18^th April until 28^th May and the selected retailers will be contacted and receive their prizes in June.

Retailers, and their staff, can access GroceryAid’s free and confidential emotional, practical and financial support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, by calling the FREE Helpline on 08088 021122. Calls are answered by a qualified counsellor who can provide immediate emotional support and guidance. Alternatively, they can visit www.groceryaid.org.uk/get-help to find out more.