THE BIG INTERVIEW
LOUIS DRAKE SALES DIRECTOR, AF BLAKEMORE
ON A COMMISSION MISSION SPAR WHOLESALER AF BLAKEMORE RECENTLY UNVEILED THE FIRST STORE IN ITS ESTATE RUN BY A ‘COMMISSION OPERATOR’ UNDER A BRAND NEW MODEL – AND WHILE IT’S THE FIRST, IT CERTAINLY
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WON’T BE THE LAST, SAYS SALES DIRECTOR LOUIS DRAKE. BY ANTONY BEGLEY
he symbol group model has been the pre-eminent model for binding wholesalers and independent convenience retailers together for some time now, but there are signs that a new trend is emerging. A number of retail and wholesale groups, including the interlinked Co-op, Nisa and Costcutter triumvirate, have been trialling new franchise and commission operator models. The latest wholesaler to unveil a new direction is AF Blakemore, who recently launched a commission operator store model in Herefordshire. The commission operator model isn’t new in itself. It’s commonplace in the forecourt sector with companies like MFG relying on it, but it’s not a model you come across much in traditional convenience retailing. “It’s a very popular model in the forecourt sector,” says AF Blakemore Sales Director Louis Drake. “It’s something we had been looking it for some time but our new store in Leominster in Herefordshire is the first company-owned store to operate under the new model. It won’t be the last”. In basic terms, the store is owned by AF Blakemore but is run by independent retailers. In the case of Spar Leominster, the site is now run by MIH Traders which is owned by Dasitha Gamage and Janaka Watowita. “The store was formerly operated by Blakemore Retail, our company-owned store division,” explains Drake. “But now it’s being run by Dasitha and Janaka but with the full support of AF Blakemore. It opened on the 7th of September and the early indications are that it is very much performing to expectations and we have high hopes for it.”
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So what is the thinking behind the new model? “Essentially, our commission operators will be self-employed entrepreneurial retailers who are seeking to operate their own businesses supported by a successful retail partner. AF Blakemore will own the business, with the commission operators responsible for developing sales and profitability within their stores. In practice, that means we’re freeing the retailers up to focus on what really matters: growing the business.” AF Blakemore currently services 966 Spar stores, including 277 company-owned stores, with Leominster the only store operating under the new model, but Drake says
