How to stock sweet and savoury biscuits with Simon Warren, The East Street Deli

What are your best-selling sweet and savoury biscuits at The East Street Deli?
Our best-selling sweet biscuits are our locally made artisan ones that we get for seasonal occasions such as Easter, Valentine’s, ‘Thank you teacher’ etc. We recently sold a huge number of coronation biscuits that our local biscuit producer made. They’re great as they are good stocking fillers, table presents and small, affordable gifts that are only available at The East Street Deli.

We also stock the local Moores biscuits from the other side of Dorset which are good sellers. We are probably most famous for cheese in Wimborne and so we stock a wide range of savoury biscuits and crackers from Spanish supplier, Brindisa, which are fantastic. Popti Thins from Cornwall are also very popular.

What do your shoppers look for when buying biscuits?
I think there are two types of biscuit shoppers for sweet biscuits. There are those that want something for their coffee break and are quite happy with classic flavours, and then there are those that want a gift for a dinner party or if they’re visiting a friend for coffee. Those customers are looking for that little bit of luxury that they can’t find in a supermarket. Spanish Cigarrillos biscuits are great for such an occasion.

Do you have a free-from range? If so, why, and how popular is it?
Our free-from range is constantly growing although we don’t have a specific free-from section. We try to display on new shelf edge labels the items that are free from gluten, sugar, dairy etc. We have trialled gluten-free gift hampers at Christmas as many people struggle to find gifts for friends and loved ones that have certain dietary requirements. Making it easier for them to shop with us is becoming more and more important.

Do trends affect your biscuit range?
We don’t find that trends affect our biscuit range too much, although seasonal changes and annual events are worth adapting your range for if possible. Having a local producer that can make small, bespoke gifting ranges has been helpful for us.

What tweaks are you planning to make in 2023?
We haven’t really noticed too much change in the biscuit department so far this year but it’s an area we could probably develop. Our savoury range is extensive and compliments our cheese sales but we’re looking to work with new suppliers and producers for the sweet biscuits section.