Pic’s Peanut Butter lands in Amazon stores

New Zealand food brand Pic’s Peanut Butter is one of the brands involved in Amazon’s ‘Clicks & Mortar’ initiative, which launched this week in the UK.

The e-commerce giant is rolling out pop-up shops across the UK, giving small online business brands the opportunity to reach the high street market.

More than 100 small online brands will be sold across the UK with pop-up shops set to open in Wales, Scotland, the Midlands, Yorkshire and the Southeast.

The first pop-up store has opened in St. Mary’s Gate, Manchester, selling the wares of 12 businesses, including Pic’s Peanut Butter.

According to Amazon, the year-long pilot programme will explore a new model to help up-and-coming online brands grow their high street presence. Independent research on the success of the pilot will be submitted to the British government, following the call for new ideas to develop the Future High Streets strategy.

“Small businesses are one of our most important customer groups, and we’re thrilled to work with Enterprise Nation to design a comprehensive package to help entrepreneurs across the UK grow their businesses, both in-store and online,” said Doug Gurr, UK Amazon country manager.

“From giving up-and-coming online British brands the chance to experience physical retail, to funding the training of full-time apprenticeships and helping to increase SME exports, Amazon is committed to supporting the growth of small businesses – helping them boost the economy and create jobs across the UK.”

The project, in partnership with small business support group Enterprise Nation, Amazon, Direct Line for Business and Square Amazon will help create over 150 full-time apprenticeships at small online businesses through a new £1 million SME Apprenticeship Fund, while the Amazon Academy training programme will provide free digital training to help grow their sales and boost exports.