Good Food Retail network launches nationwide

On 3rd September 2025 Rice Marketing launched the national Good Food Retail network, in collaboration with Impact on Urban Health and Bestway Wholesale and with the support of 13 local authorities.

This is a movement for change, providing a blueprint to make healthier options more accessible and more affordable for the convenience sector and especially those independent convenience stores located in low-income areas.

This is the culmination of 6 years’ work to achieve the vision that Stephanie Rice launched today, together with Susannah Hodgson, Retail and Development Director, Rice Marketing.

"This is a very proud day for us all and we look forward to seeing its impact grow." — Stephanie

Event speakers at the launch (from left to right) Stephanie Rice (Rice Marketing), Helen Highly (Bright Purpose) and Mindy Mondair (Bestway Wholesale).

A few highlights from the day

• Over 50 attendees from stakeholders including 13 councils, wholesalers, their suppliers, academics, retailers, policy makers and trade media

• The launch of this new brand and website that signposts people as to how to get involved 

• The launch of a scaleable model that allows for more councils to engage with the Good Food Retail network

• Hearing from wholesaler, Bestway, who talked about how they have moved from a pilot in 2022 to a national launch and how they are proud to be the first national Wholesaler to implement this blueprint. 

Press coverage from the launch of Good Food Retail network

Asian Trader

https://www.asiantrader.biz/bestway-healthier-choices-good-food-retail-network

Better Retailing

https://www.betterretailing.com/good-food-retail-national-launch/

Better Wholesaling

https://www.betterwholesaling.com/bestway-launches-healthy-food-network-for-c-stores/

Convenience Store

https://www.conveniencestore.co.uk/news/bestway-making-healthier-choices-accessible-with-good-food-retail-network/708940.article

KAM City

https://www.kamcity.com/namnews/uk-and-ireland/wholesalers/bestway-wholesale-agrees-collaboration-to-make-healthier-choices-more-accessible-in-convenience-stores/

Talking Retail

https://www.talkingretail.com/news/bestway-wholesale-to-make-healthier-choices-more-accessible-04-09-2025/

The Grocer

https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/bestway-to-make-healthier-choices-more-accessible-with-good-food-retail-network/709020.article

Wholesale Manager

https://wholesalemanager.co.uk/bestway-wholesale-healthier-choices-more-accessible-with-national-good-food-retail-network/

Key messages

• Access to healthy food in the UK is incredibly unequal. For many people living on low incomes, often the only available option is to shop in a local convenience store. These stores often stock fewer healthier options and charge higher prices.

  
  

• We launched the Good Food Retail network because we know we need to look at the food environment as a whole in order to make our community healthier. 

  
  

• Good Food Retail is an innovative way of tackling a public health issue by basically framing health in a commercial way.

  
  

• Being part of Good Food Retail helps councils to engage with small businesses in their boroughs and understand the challenges retailers face in stocking healthier options.

  
  

•  Good Food Retail was born out of four years testing solutions to this problem.

Find out more

https://www.goodfoodretailnetwork.co.uk/

If you are interested to see how you can get involved with Good Food Retail please do get in touch with the team hello@goodfoodretailnetwork.co.uk