DELI OF THE MONTH Panzer’s has served the St John’s Wood area of London for more than 75 years but it wasn’t that long ago that this deli looked doomed to close and become just another supermarket. Here’s the story of how customer and entrepreneur David Josephs revived this retail institution. Interview by Michael Lane
Corner shop cornucopia THE TAIL-END OF Storm Corrie is putting the kerbside displays at Panzer’s Delicatessen to the test as FFD sits down with its owner at an outside table. One particularly heavy gust sends a display of flowers crashing to the pavement and nearly robs the tahini cookies from the plate in front of us. But while the shop’s trademark green awnings flutter violently, David Josephs seems untroubled by the blustery weather. Maybe it’s because he himself swept through this iconic business when he bought it in 2015 like a wind of change – and a much-needed one at that. “When I came along here, this was an institution, but it was tired,” he tells FFD. “It hadn’t been invested in since the ’80s. I don’t think there was a fridge that was under 30 years old, and everything was going wrong.” Thanks to Josephs’ investment in it over the last five years, the current incarnation of this iconic deli couldn’t be more different. The 2,000 sq ft of retail space manages to be both brightly lit and extremely densely VITAL STATISTICS
Location: 13-19 Circus Rd, London NW8 6PB Retail area: 2,000sq ft No. of staff: 64 No. of suppliers: 500 Turnover: ca £10m 56
March 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 2
packed. There’s a vibrant greengrocery area, carrying all manner of staples and exotic varieties of produce. Add to that a wine and alcohol section, chilled and frozen cabinets, numerous shelves of ambient ingredients, a coffee bar, a sushi concession and the deli counter serving up cheese, charcuterie, sandwiches and (of course) the traditional house speciality – hand-cut smoked salmon. Even late on a Monday morning, the shopfloor is bustling. There seems to be a staff member for nearly every customer – and there are plenty of them perusing the vast array of goods sourced from all over the globe. “One of the reasons I wanted to do this is because I wanted to show that independent stores can work,” says Josephs. “If you have the right mix.” And a brief overview of the numbers bears his theory out. In his time at the helm, Josephs has seen staff numbers double to more than 60, turnover grow several times over to around £10m, and profits continue to rise.
While his self-described “corner shop cornucopia” approach to retailing is paying dividends, that doesn’t mean Josephs isn’t conscious and deeply proud of the shop’s traditional Jewish deli roots. Panzer’s has stood on the same spot in the affluent district of St John’s Wood – within minutes of Lord’s Cricket Ground and the Abbey Road Studios – for more than 75 years. Josephs can remember visiting it as a child with his grandparents to pick up those revered smoked salmon bagels at the weekend. So, he was dismayed to discover that it was on the verge of being sold to a supermarket chain. With the deal pending, he approached owner Peter Vogel, the son of the business’s cofounder, and made him an offer. “I said ‘It would be a tragedy. The last thing we want is another bloody supermarket destroying the high street.’ This is not just a store, it’s an anchor for St. John’s Wood. “So, I said, ‘I’ll buy it’. “He said, ‘You’re insane. What do you know
