HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN….. LINDA WILLIAMS?

RETAILER INTERVIEW

PREMIER BROADWAY CONVENIENCE STORE, EDINBURGH

HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN….. LINDA WILLIAMS?

THIS WEEK WE CATCH UP WITH EDINBURGH RETAILER LINDA WILLIAMS AS HER STORE RECORDS RECORD SALES AND HER FANTASTIC HARDSHIP FUND IDEA TOPS £9,000.

HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN LINDA?

It’s been another tough and challenging week, that’s for sure, but we also saw a record sales week.

RECORD SALES?

Yes, our weekly sales were the highest they’ve ever been in 37 years in this store! It’s pretty remarkable. Not only that, we’ve also topped £9,000 for our community Hardship Fun which is even more remarkable in some ways.

CAN YOU TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT THE HARDSHIP FUND?

It all started about a month ago when it dawned on me that some of our customers were probably struggling to even feed themselves. I started putting out fresh sandwiches that our customers could help themselves to if they were struggling. I put out a Facebook post to let people know about the Fund – and suddenly I started getting a fl ood of off ers from people wanting to help by making contributions or paying for the bread or the ham or whatever.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

We decided to start a Facebook page to let people donate if they wanted to so my daughter Sophie and I set up a collections page. We set our target at £300 and even then I wondered if that would look a bit cheeky and high. But within 40 minutes we’d hit the target and by the end of that day we’d hit £1,500. My husband Dennis and I then decided to put £1,000 in ourselves and it’s just snowballed from there.

“Our weekly sales were the highest they’ve ever been in 37 years in this store!”

We’ve raised over £9,000 in just a few weeks between Facebook and with donations made in the store. Th ere have been quite a few tears along the way! We’ve just been overwhelmed by how generous and kind people have been, even people that don’t live in our community.

HOW DO YOU USE THE MONEY?

We’re very careful about how we do it and I think we’ve handed out over £1,000 already but we do it in small amounts. It’s typically £20 or £30 worth of shopping or electricity or gas vouchers for customers that really need our help. And we defi nitely see it as help, not charity. We all need a little help sometimes.

HOW DO CUSTOMERS REQUEST HELP?

Some people are happy to just ask us, others get referred to us by friends, neighbours or family. We’ve recently started getting more formal referrals from the Housing Department, the Social Work Department, the local schools and the local Health Visitor. In one way it’s fantastic to be able to help, but it’s also sobering to realise how many people need help just to get something to eat and to pay their utility bills.

IT’S SURELY AN IDEA OTHER RETAILERS COULD REPLICATE?

100%. I don’t know why more retailers aren’t doing it but we’d be happy to help if anyone wants to find out more about how we did it so they can do it in their own stores.

AND YOU’VE BEEN DOING HOME DELIVERIES?

Yes, we’ve always done that on an informal basis but recently we’re doing a lot more of it to help vulnerable customers or those who have been forced to self-isolate. I’d say we’re doing maybe 10 or 12 a day now and our customers really appreciate it.

HOW IS THE STORE DOING IN GENERAL?

As I say, we’re doing record sales, up about 35% against our typical weekly sales, even though footfall is down about 15%. People aren’t coming as oft en but when they do, they’re spending big. Th e home deliveries can also be quite big basket spends. We had one order for £165 from Ratho which is quite a distance away. It just shows you how important community stores are for people.

ANY NEW FACES ACROSS THE DOOR?

Absolutely. We’re seeing new people every day, even though our total

footfall is down. I think maybe some people just didn’t know we were here or assumed that we’re just a wee newsagents and they wouldn’t be able to do a full shop, but they’ve learned otherwise, so hopefully a lot of them will stay with us for the long term. I also think people just don’t want to queue up at supermarkets so they use us for convenience and because we have a great range and pricing.

WILL YOU RETAIN THEM POST-CORONAVIRUS?

I reckon we will. Th ere will always be some who will return to their old ways but this pandemic is serious and longterm and I think it will have long term consequences. I think more people are realising the real value of a great community store and how committed we are to our customers.

ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS BEHAVING?

Th ey’ve been brilliant. Th e one thing I have noticed however is that they are having to be reminded a little bit more about social distancing in the last week. At the start they took it very seriously and complied really well but we’re seeing a few more instances of people getting a bit more laid back about it, presumably because they forget or they’ve just had enough of the whole thing.

THAT MUST BE DIFFICULT FOR STAFF?

It is. It’s stressful enough to be at the till because you’re properly in the front line. We have screens up now and plenty of gloves and handwash and so on, but it’s hard enough to serve all day without having to challenge customers who aren’t distancing properly. But as a general rule, our customers have been exceptionally kind and caring and I think we will all learn a lot of important lessons during this crisis.

ANY ODD REQUESTS?

We can’t sell fl our quick enough, like every other retailer, but we’ve also had a lot of requests for decorating materials like paintbrushes and rollers and so on, and we’re getting asked for fl owers and gardening stuff too. Everybody’s houses and gardens are going to be immaculate this year!

LOVING IT: COMMUNITY HARDSHIP FUND

Linda and her daughter Sophie fi rst set up theHardship Fund on 3 April with a Facebook donationspage and a target of £300, a fi gure she hopedwouldn’t be “too cheeky”. Within 40 minutes,however, she had smashed the target and by the endof the first day the store had amassed over £1,500 indonations.

Linda and her husband Dennis added £1,000 themselves and since then the Fund has snowballed. A donation from Booker as well as countless others via the Facebook page and in person in the store have taken the total to over £9,000 and counting.

So far, around £1,000 has been handed out to local customers in need. These have mostly for £20 or £30, usually in the form of a bag of free shopping or a free gas or electric voucher.

Struggling customers can make requests personally to Dennis and Linda while anyone can refer people who need a little help to the warm-hearted pair.

Recently, the store has started receiving more formal referrals from the Housing Department, the Social Work Department, the local schools and the local Health Visitor – highlighting the scale of the problem in the area.

This is a fantastic idea that could easily be replicated in other stores and communities across Scotland and Linda would be happy to share what she’s learned with any retailers interested in starting their own Community Hardship Fund.