HOW'S YOUR WEEK BEEN...

RETAILER INTERVIEW

GRAHAM WATSON

WATSON’S GROCERS, MONIAIVE

LOCKDOWN IN A SMALL AND VERY REMOTE DUMFRIESSHIRE VILLAGE COMES WITH ITS OWNPARTICULAR CHALLENGES, WITH THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY HUGELY RELIANT ONGRAHAM WATSON’S STORE.

HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN GRAHAM?

I’m not going to lie, it’s been hard. This whole lockdown period has been enormously challenging for us as we’re the only store for 20 miles in any direction and the community relies on us in a very real sense. It’s a big responsibility and it’s been tough, though it’s also been very rewarding. The last week has seen things settle

down a little bit. I think people are getting used to the new routine now – the ‘new normal’ – and there’s been a slight change in the last week or so.

HOW ARE SALES NOW?

Sales are still way above whatever normal used to be. We’re probably 30% to 35% up on where we were before so, from a purely business point of view, we’re doing well. But it’s hard work.

STILL AT IT SEVEN DAYS?

Absolutely. And it’s not just that. I’m driving about 300 miles a week just getting stock. I’m having to go to town every day to get more stock, not so much because I’m selling it through but just because I often can’t find what I need each trip. The wholesalers are still hand to mouth so we’re having to work a lot harder just to get what my customers need. I’m even sourcing things like yeast from America and I’ve been buying lots of staple products in bulk and then splitting them up.

HOW DOES THAT WORK?

We buy things like pasta, flour, lentils and rice in bulk then literally bag it up and sell it that way. It’s been working really well and my shoppers seem to like it. It’s more hard work, of course, and my wife and daughters have been amazing at helping get it all sorted.

AND YOU DO HOME DELIVERY?

Yes, we’ve always done it, to be fair, but it used to be just a day or two a week. Under lockdown we’ve been doing it six days and at its peak we were doing over 120 deliveries a week. We’re down to about 80 now, but you have to bear in mind that home delivery in Moniaive isn’t like home delivery in as town or city. I’ve got customers that live a way away at the end of little single-track roads. I’ve got one regular customer who is 96 and who lives 11

miles away up a glen road. That’s a long 11 miles, believe me! But you do what you have to do, don’t you? You’ve got to look after people.

HOW IS THE COMMUNITY RESPONDING TO LOCKDOWN?

By and large, they’ve been absolutely brilliant. We’ve all pulled together and it’s inspiring to see. We all need to rely on each other because we’re isolated in every sense.

BUT YOU’RE CLEARLY THE MAN FOR THE JOB!

Well, I’m ex-Navy – where I was a logistics officer – so I specialised in logistics and isolation! A mate of mine from the Navy says that coping with lockdown is tailor made for me!

HOW IS THE NOW FAMOUS DAILY VLOG GOING?

It started out as a bit of a silly rant one night back at the end of March when the crisis was just getting going. I had been in the shop from 6am and was there at nearly midnight still waiting on my drop. When the poor driver arrived he looked in worse shape than me! But I was totally frustrated and decided to do a video post about it. It’s since turned into a daily part of my routine and it’s been quite well received. The one I did on Friday there got 1,300 views!

DO YOU EVER RUN OUT OF MATERIAL?

Not yet! There’s always something to share and I try to make sure they aren’t always rants or complaints. But the community seems to like them and I use them to let them know about important things like the menthol ban, any updates on social distancing, stock issues or whatever. They’re kind of light-hearted so they let me convey important messages but without it appearing too stern.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR GIVEAWAY TABLE.

We know that there are some people in our community who really are struggling, so we sit a table outside the store with a selection of products, mostly essentials, that people can help themselves to. It’s just a small thing but it matters, and I know that it gets used, so I’m just glad we can help in little ways like this.

HOW DO YOU SEE THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AND MONTHS?

To be honest, I think the effects of coronavirus will still be seen and felt for a long time. I fully expect the convenience sector to play a major role for most people maybe all the way through to Christmas. I don’t think we’ll all still be seeing hugely inflated sales at that point, but I can still see us being 15% or 20% up at the end of this year.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR COPING WITH THAT?

We just keep on keeping on. The biggest concern is a second spike in coronavirus cases because it really wouldn’t be great to have this running through into winter. It’s hard enough with sunshine and clear roads and light evenings. But I’ve always believed that tomorrow is guaranteed for nobody, so you just have to do your best today and keep looking out for each other. I’ve got a brilliant team at the shop, including my two daughters, and we’ll just keep doing our best for our community and looking out for each other.