HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN...

RETAILER PROFILE: BAIJU JOSE, MFG LONDIS BELLSHILL

BELLSHILL RETAILER BAIJU JOSE’S FORECOURT REOPENED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AFTERA FULL REFIT AND REFRESH TO CONVERT THE MFG FORECOURT INTO A LONDIS – AND IT’SBEEN A GREAT COUPLE OF WEEKS WITH IMMEDIATE SALES HIKES.

HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN BAIJU?

It’s been extremely busy but it’s been busy good. The store reopened two weeks ago after converting to Londis and it’s been an instant success. We’ve seen immediate sales increases of 15% on the week before, which is great as the store had already been performing to a very high level during the pandemic.

IT’S AN MFG STORE?

Yes, I’m technically self-employed. MFG sites work on a ‘commission’ model. This store used to be an MRH site under the Hurst’s brand but when MFG bought MRH in December 2018 we became part of the bigger group and since then they have been working to convert all 900 or so UK sites to Londis.

WAS IT A MAJOR REFIT?

Huge! It took four weeks in total and for a week of that we had to close the site altogether to allow for re-pumping and so on, which we couldn’t do with customers around. On the forecourt, we repumped every island and we also added Super Unleaded for the first time which meant bringing in a brand new storage tank, but it lets us broaden our offer to shoppers. We get a lot of HGV custom too, being so close to the M8 and various business parks, so we also decided to modernise the HGV pumps which lets HGVs fill up twice as quickly as before. Plus, we’ve added an Adblue option on every pump. We’ve also replaced all the signage and furniture and the car wash, so our overall forecourt offer is much stronger.

WHAT ABOUT THE STORE?

To help us grow our retail offer, we increased the sales space by taking some space from what was the back store. It was bigger than we needed anyway, but that allowed us to add about a quarter more space to the shopfloor. Making that change means we now sit somewhere around the 2,000sq ft mark for retail space. That allowed us to bring in new products and services, and also let us grow some categories that are doing well and needed more space.

WHAT IS YOUR CORE TARGET AUDIENCE?

HGV drivers are important to us, as are the school kids from the nearby high school, but we also see a lot of non-fuel footfall from the residential area around us.

WHAT WAS THE THINKING BEHIND THE NEW RETAIL STRATEGY?

For the HGV audience, the new faster pumps are a big draw, but we wanted to get the lorry drivers to spend more in the shop too. We already had a Subway, which we’ve retained, but we’ve increased our food-to-go offer with a new chiller for chilled food-to-go alongside a new set of meal deals. We’ve also added a F’Real machine and Tango Ice Blast to the Costa machine we already had. We’ve essentially created a dedicated food-to-go area in the store for the first time and that’s proven really popular. Plus we’ve doubled the range of snacks, bars and protein lines we have and we’ve got a much wider range of electrical accessories from Fifo. We’ve created a new area for accessories and equipment that HGV drivers are looking for – everything from plug-in kettles to air freshener and bug cleaner. We want the drivers to know we’ve thought about what they need and that they’ll get a fast, efficient, enjoyable experience when they visit us.

AND THE SCHOOL KIDS?

It’s obviously a little trickier than normal under the pandemic, but we get a lot of footfall from the local school early in the morning and at lunchtime, so we’ve re-worked our offer to make the store even more attractive to that demographic. The Subway is a massive draw but the F’Real and Tango Ice Blast are already proving big hits. A new US candy gondola end has also been popular and we have a comprehensive range of crisps, snacks, confectionery and soft drinks too.

FINALLY, THE LOCAL MARKET?

The local residents have always used the store regularly and we also see a lot of footfall from the customers visiting the McDonald’s next door and the Premier Inn across the road. They love the new look store and our improved range, but we’ve also upweighted our offer for the local market. We’ve brought in a new range of meal solutions, things like ready meals that offer a quick, tasty and convenient solution for lunches or evening meals and we have a solid core grocery range.

THE STRATEGY SEEMS TO BE WORKING.

It is. We were obviously hoping for an uplift in sales after the changes but we probably didn’t expect increases as big as 15% on top of what has already been a fairly strong six months. Coronavirus has turned the world upside down for us, as it has for all retailers, but MFG has been working very hard to support us and, as a group, it’s proving very resilient. Fuel sales were down obviously, but we’re beginning to get back to something approaching normal. Currently, MFG sites are only down somewhere in the region of 15% year-on-year in terms of fuel sales, which is pretty remarkable. But you just never know what’s coming next. The recent 10pm closing time in hospitality has probably helped, as we’re a 24 hour shop. This means that we’re seeing some decent footfall after the pubs and restaurants close, but you can never tell what’s coming next. We just need to be as prepared as we can and as flexible as we can so that we are in a position to cope with all this flux.

ANYTHING ELSE IN THE PIPELINE, THEN?

Yes, we’re just about to add a home deliveries service with Uber Eats in the next week or so and we expect to see some more growth through that. We’re just working hard at giving our shoppers what they want and helping them out however we can in these very unusual times.