They came, they saw, they checked it out!

Checkout 2026 was arguably the biggest and best so far in the five years since the Scottish Committee of industry charity GroceryAid first launched the annual music festival.

By Antony Begley

It all started as nothing more than an apparently daft idea at a brainstorming committee meeting for GroceryAid Scotland. What could we do to raise the profile of GroceryAid in Scotland (awareness was almost non-existent at the time) and maybe raise a few quid for the charity, as well as being something that retailers would actually want to come to? The answer? A music festival. No work, no presentations, no donations, no worries. Just a laugh and a good night out for everyone. It’s what Scotland does best, surely?

And from that daft idea, and within just five years, Checkout Scotland has established itself as undoubtedly one of the major highlights of the Scottish local retailing calendar. This year’s event, held last month at Barras Art & Design, proved to be – arguably – the best so far.

Around 600 people from across the trade gathered in Glasgow at the end of August to soak up the atmosphere, catch up with pals and colleagues, enjoy a few drinks, and see Boyzlife and Nathan Evans & The Saint Phnx Band up close and personal as they tore it up on stage in front of a packed audience.

As well as the main stage acts, a host of DJs including Cassi, Babyccino, Jim Harper and DJ Naeem provided the perfect soundtrack to an exceptional evening.

Retailers, wholesalers, suppliers and more all joined the party and helped make the event one of the best in the calendar. It’s now almost certainly the biggest single event in the local retailing year, in terms of the number of independent retailers who attend and it’s becoming an increasingly important draw for suppliers keen to get their brands in front of a huge retail audience in a unique, laid-back environment.

Proud partners

This year saw Highland Spring step up to the mark as Headline Sponsor, the first time we’ve ever had a headline sponsor for the event. Irn-Bru was back again too, as they have been for every year that Checkout has run, taking their usual VIP bar space that is eternally popular, no doubt in part due to the fact that those lucky Irn-Bru wristband wearers get access to free drinks all night!

Among the other long-term returning supporters of the event were Allwyn, Buckfast, Spar Scotland, SHS, Pernod Ricard and KP Snacks while new partners there for the first time included AU Vodka, Hooch and Diamonde Blush Gin.

Every partner played their part in making the event so special and contributing to the genuine festival atmosphere.

All of this supplier support is vital as it helps fund the event and generate much-needed funds for GroceryAid. Importantly, every penny the event raises goes to the charity and every penny is spent in Scotland.

Awareness matters

Checkout Scotland plays a key role in generating funds, but it exists first and foremost to help raise awareness of GroceryAid in Scotland and make as many people as possible aware of the vital financial, practical and emotional support that the charity offers to Scottish industry colleagues, entirely free of charge and in complete confidence.

In fact, since Checkout Scotland first launched, the financial support delivered to colleagues in Scotland has risen by hundreds of percent. That tells us loud and clear that more colleagues than ever now know there is somewhere they can go when they need help.

So by supporting Checkout Scotland, whether that’s by sponsoring, buying tickets or just attending, you are playing an important role helping colleagues in need across the convenience sector and supply chain in Scotland.

In that sense, Checkout is the best fun you can have while doing a bit of good for our sector.

Next year’s date has already been announced – 26 August 2027 – so stick it in your diary and get in touch if you want to get involved with something special.