HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN...

RETAILER PROFILE: ANAND CHEEMA, SPAR MAGGIE WOODS’ LOAN, FALKIRK

ANAND CHEEMA

ANAND CHEEMA, SON OF SGF CEO PETE CHEEMA, OPENED HIS FIRST STORE LAST WEEK– AND IT’S A STORE HIS FATHER USED TO OWN. WE FIND OUT HOW HIS FIRST WEEK AS ARETAILER HAS BEEN.

HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN ANAND?

I couldn’t even begin to describe it! It’s been an exciting time getting ready for the opening but the last week has just been a blur. There’s so much to take on board so quickly but I’m absolutely loving it. I probably underestimated how difficult it would be to pull everything together quickly with the pandemic hanging over us. We’ve had a lot of problems just getting equipment to the store because of coronavirus-related issues, but we’re just about there now.

YOUR DAD USED TO OWN THIS STORE?

Yes, it’s a bit weird isn’t it? I’ve just taken on my first store aged 23, which was the same age my dad started out in business, and I’m starting out in a store that my dad used to own. He sold it in 2009. It’s all pure coincidence but I’m taking it as a good sign.

DID YOU SET OUT TO BUY THIS STORE?

Not at all. We put in offers on eight or nine stores before this one was offered to us so it’s not like I had my heart on set on buying my dad’s old store. The fact that he knows the store and knows the area is a bonus though, and he supported me brilliantly all the way through the process.

WAS IT EASY TO GET THE DEAL DONE?

Yes and no. We were offered the lease initially but that’s not what we wanted. The store hadn’t been doing well as a McColl’s and it also needed a lot of work done, so we would only commit to that if we owned the business and the property. It was a complicated structure because the head lease, the sub lease and the building were all owned by different parties so it took a bit of work to get us all

on the same page, but we actually managed to get it all done remarkably quickly. I think we did the whole thing from start to finish in a month.

AND YOU’VE BOUGHT THE PUB THAT SITS BEHIND THE STORE?

It was a pub that closed because of coronavirus and the one major problem we had with the store was a lack of storage space. It’s quite a big store at 2,900sq ft so it needs a lot of stock. The existing storage space is far too small, especially because we have introduced a lot of new elements like F’Real, Tango Ice Blast, food-to-go and so on which tend to require a lot of storage space for the replenishment stock. The plan is to knock through to the pub to give us all the space we need.

HAD YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A RETAILER?

I was always interested in it, certainly. From a very young age, maybe about 12, I was working alongside my mum and dad in stores. Mum took care of the shop floor and dad did the back office work, so I got to see both sides of running a store. Having said that, dad was insistent that I went to university; he never wanted me to become a retailer because he wanted me to have my weekends to myself!

WHAT DID YOU STUDY?

I did a degree in Accountancy and Finance and I graduated in 2018. I joined CJ Lang that August then moved to Envipco in June 2019. I was there until just over a week ago! They were brilliant with me when I was leaving, and they wished me all the best and really understood why I was going to become a retailer for the first time.

WHAT WAS YOUR STRATEGY FOR THE NEW STORE?

We had a full GIS survey done so we had a really good understanding of the demographics of the local area, on top of dad’s experience of the locality and the store itself. Over 45% of the catchment area is 45 or older and 35% are under 25, so we’ve tailored our offer accordingly. Foodto-go was always going to be at the heart of the store’s offer, and I’m delighted at how we’ve managed to incorporate it into the layout. We have a food-to-go island right in the middle of the store, which really sets the tone. It puts food-to-go at the heart of the business, quite literally. We were also focused on ensuring it is a high margin store, so we have lots of premium offerings, especially within the island. We have F’Real, Costa, Tropical Ice slush, Tango Ice Blast and Rollover as well as a couple of ‘firsts’. We have a bespoke Millions Megamix unit, the first time this machine has ever been implemented in this format, and we also have the first Fwip machine in a Spar store in Scotland. These help drive footfall and sales and also deliver solid margins.

YOU DIDN’T SKIMP ON THE HOT FOOD EITHER?

No, dad insisted on getting the best equipment we could find. We got a £16,000 Manitowoc fully automatic six-shelf oven. We also installed a Merrychef oven, the same one that you find in Subways. Everything is pre-programmed to ensure we get consistent results and it makes it easier for staff.

WAS FINDING STAFF A PROBLEM?

No, we retained most of the McColl’s team but we did recruit a brand new team specifically for the hot food. They’re being trained now as it’s a hugely complicated training course, but we want them to be able to execute everything perfectly because delivering perfectly cooked product will be the key to driving repeat sales. We are also producing our own range of sandwiches, baguettes and so on, all hand made fresh in-store. We get most of our ingredients for the food-to-go from Lomond Wholesale, but we have sourced packaged meat and bakery products from Stuart’s.

ARE YOU FOCUSING ON REGIONAL AND SCOTTISH PRODUCTS?

Definitely. We’ve tried to bring in as many Scottish lines as we can. We are the first store to stock canned craft beers from Cold Town Brewery in Edinburgh and we’re bringing in Scottish wines from Cairn O’Mhor, for instance. We also have some whiskies from the local Rosebank Distillery. We’ve even used a Scottish company for our epos as we’ve gone with MPos from MHouse Solutions in Motherwell.

AND SOME VERY EXPENSIVE WHISKIES TOO?

We’re trying to create as many USPS in store as possible, so we’ve included a very special highend spirits cabinet with a range of rare and older whiskies. We’ve done some deals directly with distillers to ensure we have a unique range. We even have a nice wee Glenfiddich 30yo that comes complete with its own branded suitcase. Yours for just £535?

WE’LL PASS ON THAT ONE. IS THERE A MARKET FOR THOSE TYPES OF PRODUCTS?

We believe so. There are a couple of whisky clubs in the area and the members have to get their whiskies from somewhere. There’s nowhere else in Falkirk offering a rare range and customers certainly won’t find anything unusual in Tesco or Asda. We’re not expecting to sell a lot of them but they yield a great margin and they create a talking point.

HOW WAS THE REFIT?

It was a challenge. We replaced everything. And I mean everything. Floors, ceilings, the lot. The only bit of the store untouched was the little manager’s office at the back. Everything else got refitted, including the storage spaces and we added in a new food prep area where we can make the sandwiches and baguettes and so on, and where we can prep all the hot food too. But it’s worked well and it looks good as soon as you walk through the door. The food-to-go island dominates straight away and we chose to have fresh produce right at the front door as well, to drive home the message of what the store’s all about. We’ve also tried to incorporate some new ideas like the video rails.

TELL US ABOUT THEM

The video rails add theatre and help drive sales. We got them from SES-imagotag through David Morgan. They’re basically full HD video screens that enhance the shopper experience. They all run in the cloud so we can change the video artwork whenever we like in real time from anywhere. At the moment we have Tennent’s, Cold Town Beer, Magners and Golden Casket featuring on them and they’ve had a lot of attention from customers.

YOU’VE GONE BIG ON BRANDS TOO?

Yes, we feel there is definitely a place for own-label and we stock a lot of the Spar own-label range but we’ve tried to major on brands, both existing established ones and challenger brands. We want the customer experience to be special and brands help us achieve that.

ARE YOU MANAGING TO GET ANY SLEEP?

Not really. I’ve been here at opening – 6am – and stayed until closing – 10pm – every day so far and it’s exhausting but I just want to make sure we get everything right. I also want to make sure that the high standards we have set are maintained and want our team and our customers to know that the store will always be pristine for them, every time they are in the store. This is going to be a long and challenging journey, but I’ve been planning for it all my adult life and I’m lucky that I’ve got my dad alongside me with his experience. I’m running on adrenalin, but it’s just unbelievable to see my lifelong dream come true before my eyes. I just hope I can be as successful in my career as my dad has been in his. I want to make him proud.

ANAND CHOOSES MPOS

In keeping with his commitment to using Scottish products, services and suppliers, Anand has chosen MPos from Motherwell-based business MHouse Solutions as his Epos partner for the store.

MHouse Solutions Managing Director Faisal Sattar told The Week In Retail: “We are proud members of the Scottish Grocers’ Federation and when we first started talking to Anand and Pete about the new store they told me that they were keen to go with a Scottish company.

“We currently work with over 700 stores in Scotland and are seeing really strong growth at the moment, so it’s great to be chosen as partner for this high profile new store and it’s a pleasure to be working with Anand and his team.”

The installation work was completed in just a couple of hours but Sattar and his team spent a total of three days in the store to fully train Anand and his colleagues.

“We trained Anand on the basics of the system but we also walked him through all of the other functionality in areas such as business development, waste management, SEL and POS production and so on,” says Sattar.

“The whole process went extremely well and the system has been performing perfectly and we are confident MPos will help Anand run a profitable, efficient, futureproofed business.”