nickshanagher

Sometimes local shops are ahead of the game when it comes to shopper trends. And sometimes they are not. As a general rule, people don’t expect to be marketed to by independent shopkeepers. But there are many exceptions. This column is for the exceptions: Those retailers who are always searching for great products to share with their shoppers. But it is also a challenge for those who don’t push the boundaries of their assortment of products. Mike Brehme is an entrepreneur that I had never heard of until last month. He spent 23 years building up the tea brand Clipper to sales of £50 million before he sold it in 2007. Along the way he pioneered the UK market for green tea, Fairtrade tea, and organic hot drinks including herbal and fruit infusions. For most of the time since he sold Clipper he has been working on a new product, a hot drink that is not tea or coffee and that will sell better than fruit teas. This spring, in London, he unveiled FruitBroo, a range of “insanel...