SHOP TALK

IF I’D KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW...

RICHARD CLIVE, owner, Clive’s of Cropthorne, Cropthorne, Worcestershire

Our family has owned the site at Cropthorne since the 1980s. Back then it was a commercial fruit farm. In 2003, we stopped packing apples – we couldn’t compete with the big operators. We continued growing for our juice business, but the cold store and packing shed stood derelict.

We’ve had a thriving farm shop at nearby Upton-Upon-Severn for nearly 70 years, so in 2018, we decided to transform our Cropthorne site into a second farm shop. Essentially, we took the best parts of our Upton shop and replicated – or even improved on – them here. We wanted to make Cropthorne more of a ‘destination’. We have a bigger restaurant here – 50 covers – and we focus on cooked lunches and breakfasts, whereas at Upton the menu is limited to cold food and cakes. Both shops have the same broad selection of fresh produce and, as apple juice is a major part of our business, both have a large display dedicated to our juice and its story.

Operating two shops has its advantages. We can use the same local suppliers, and we have found that we are being better looked after since we started purchasing in larger volumes. That said, we only buy fresh fruit, veg and meat jointly; there is too much variability in ambient sales patterns between the two sites.

We have core staff at each location and staff who float between the two. We also try to spread the workload across both shops throughout the year, doing PYO strawberries, raspberries and cherries at Upton and PYO pumpkins at Cropthorne, for example.

What is interesting is how different the clientele is, although the two shops are only 12 miles apart. Average basket spend is slightly higher in our Cropthorne shop. We put this partly down to its location closer to the Cotswolds.

Our Cropthorne shop was a year old when COVID hit and then put us on the map, as people started shopping local. Our model was flipped on its head as we went from running a farm restaurant to operating a delivery service. We bought two vans and closed the restaurant. This gave us a chance to double the size of the kitchen. The ‘old’ kitchen hadn’t long been installed but it became apparent during our first year that it needed to be bigger if we were to realise the restaurant’s full potential. We are looking at expanding the restaurant side of the business. We have a temporary marquee with 30 covers and are considering building a more permanent timber-framed structure. We are also looking forward to harvesting our first asparagus, which we planted during lockdown.

I WAS VISITING a nice market town the other day (it’s on one of those “Best places to live in the South East” lists) and couldn’t help noticing there were three health food shops within 300m of each other. Now, banks flock together I’m told – it creates a critical mass –and there isn’t a high street on the planet that doesn’t have 10 hairdressers and a dozen estate agents, but health food shops?

Back at home, I have often considered my own local competition – as I’m sure you have. There is no other deli in town, no other specialist cheesemonger in the county, but there are obviously a few cafés and coffee shops to contend with.

There’s the one that hardly ever opens and, when it does, it probably has an ambulance on standby for its few elderly patrons. Then there’s the one run by a father-son duo who work bloody hard but always shut for holidays. Lastly, there’s the artisan bakery that was once caught recycling boxes for part-baked bread from a well-known wholesaler. Are any of these competition?

Compare my scene to the town just along,

MODEL RETAILING

CONFESSIONS OF A DELI OWNER

ANONYMOUS TALES FROM BEHIND THE COUNTER

People often ask me for tips on opening a deli. My answer is always to look for good neighbours.

which has gone from zero to hero recently. It’s got a deli, a couple of butchers, a good fishmonger, a farm shop’s satellite outlet, and more. Even the little Co-Op blends in by covering the basics. There are no other chains, the landlords are local and rents are (for the moment) low. What’s more, all those good neighbours are driving footfall. There is a buzz. Frankly, I’m jealous.

People often ask me for tips on opening a deli. Apart from “don’t”, my answer is always to look for good neighbours. They are already doing the heavy lifting in terms of footfall –the locals already know it’s worth visiting. A long time behind the counter has shown me that it’s often not comparable food shops. Across the street from me is a great shop selling ladies’ clothing, posh knick-knacks and greetings cards. They mirror my customer base exactly and I love them for it.

It’s not uncommon for a customer to chirp that they’re popping over the road for a birthday card (this is sometimes followed by: “Do you mind keeping an eye on my children?”). Perhaps I should sell cards, but this synergy is a blessing. So, I will often deliver coffees to them and do the odd DIY favour.

In the round, neighbours are more important than all the tweeting and Facebooking and local rag adverts in the world. It is collectively that retailers draw people into town. I joined my Chamber of Commerce because of them, put up the Christmas lights every year because of them, and sign endless petitions because of them. My shop would die without good neighbours.

As for bad neighbours, maybe we’ll talk about them another time.

SOLVING EVERYDAY SHOPKEEPING DILEMMAS. IN MINIATURE.

First the cobbler wouldn’t re-sole my glass slipper and then the garage wouldn’t MOT my pumpkin! …and that’s why I had to give up Netflix and avocado toast

I can’t believe the nerve of that EHO. Fancy saying my shop was dusty...

Oh dear…

This is tedious. Just give me the coffee.

Oh dear… FFD says: In a world that has been starved of face-to-face interaction, plenty of people will probably want to vent about their day when they come in. If you sometimes feel that you are becoming an agony aunt for your customers, that’s no bad thing. It indicates a certain level of comfort in your shop – and cheering them up is a sales opportunity for you, too. But remember that they do not want to hear about your problems. Sadly shopkeeping isn’t always a two-way street.

CODE OF PRACTICE

Technical and regulatory advice from the Guild of Fine Food’s Assured Code of Practice for Deli Retailing

This month we take a look at...

cleaning & disinfection

Regulation (EC) 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, Annex II Chapter I and V requires: “Food premises must be kept clean,” and that: “All articles, fittings and equipment with which food comes into contact are to be effectively cleaned and, where necessary, disinfected.” Cleaning should be planned and scheduled so as to ensure that no area or item is missed.

Sufficient time for all cleaning tasks must be allowed to ensure an effective and efficient cleaning regime. Cleaning and disinfection must take place at a frequency sufficient to avoid any risk of contamination.

Ensure all areas and equipment that are hard to access or are out of immediate sight are included. Consideration should be given

Cleaning should be planned and scheduled so that no area is missed

to when equipment used for ready-to-eat products should be cleaned.

Where applicable, knives, cutters and other equipment should be cleaned using the retailer’s cleaning methods between products to help prevent allergen cross-contamination. Where appropriate, colour-coded equipment can help prevent cross-contamination, both microbiological and allergenic.

Employees must be trained in cleaning procedures and the chemicals to be used, ensuring chemicals are used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and are correct for the cleaning task.

Cleaning and chemical disinfection should be carried out using six basic stages: PreClean – Sweeping, wiping or scraping of loose debris. Main clean – Application of a detergent to loosen dirt. Rinse – Removal of loosened dirt and detergent residues. Disinfection – Destruction of microorganisms either by chemical or heat disinfection. Final rinse – Removal of disinfectant residue. Drying – Removal of final rinse water and air dry.

The guide is available in PDF format and is free for Guild members. For non-members, it costs £250+VAT. To request a copy of the Code of Practice, or for further information, email support@gff.co.uk

Expert’s view

DAN SANDS OF GS1 UK EXPLAINS HOW THE UPCOMING HFSS LEGISLATION WILL AFFECT RETAILERS

Research shows that more than half of independent retailers have not heard of the upcoming HFSS legislation, due to come into effect this October. Are you one of the 54% that are unclear on what the changes will mean for your business?

HFSS products are foods or drinks high in fat, sugar or salt, as classified by the Department of Health’s nutrient profiling model (information on which can be found online), but what are the restrictions as laid out in the legislation?

For now, the laws will only apply to England. The restrictions apply to HFSS products that are pre-packed and in one of 13 food categories: prepared soft drinks, confectionary, biscuits & cereal bars, pizza, crisps & snacks, ice creams & lollies, morning goods (incl. pastries), potato products, breakfast cereals, cakes, desserts, sweetened yoghurts, ready-to-cook/reheat foods.

Retailers are cannot offer volume-based price promotions – such as BOGOF – and are restricted on the in-store location of promotions on HFSS products. Promotions cannot be placed in checkout and queueing areas, end-of-aisle displays, and entrances.

Exemptions include out-of-home deals (such as meal deals) and non-pre-packed foods, and, importantly, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees are exempt from any restrictions, and stores below 2,000 sq ft are exempt from location-based promotions.

Retailers are liable under this legislation, not producers. Businesses must ensure that they are placing HFSS products in the right place in store and that there are no volume-based promotions on the products. However, retailers can’t do the calculation to determine whether products fall under HFSS, and that presents an issue. In our experience, retailers are now approaching manufacturers to supply this information. l For more information on the upcoming

changes to legislation, visit gs1uk.org

WHAT’S TRENDING

1 NICK BAINES KEEPS YOU UP TO DATE WITH THE NEWEST DISHES, FLAVOURS AND INNOVATIONS IN FOOD & DRINK

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1 Non-alcoholic bottle shops In case anyone was wondering how serious the alcohol-free beer and spirits market is, there are now bottle shops popping up selling nothing but booze-free alternatives. According to The Independent, New York is now home to seven non-alcoholic bottle shops. Closer to home, Club Soda opened its alcohol-free off-licence pop-up in December and ended up extending its run through to the end of February. As the trend continues to bloom, these bottle shops could become a permanent fixture.

2 Real veggie burgers While it’s clear the demand for fake meat has grown, some are lamenting the loss of the traditional veggie burger. However, there are fast-casual establishments pushing veg-forward burger alternatives, such as those made from panko-coated mushrooms, and various takes on the falafel. At Camden’s VBurger, you can find the Up-Beet, a burger made from slowroasted beetroot and quinoa.

3 Pop-up collaborations Over the past 10 years, pop-ups have become a wellknown route to permanent residency. In their first iterations, pop-ups were mainly in the realm of supper clubs. Version 2.0 saw them migrate into street food markets. Now, some of the most exciting pop-up operations are moving into existing establishments for a limited stint. The pop-up gets a chance to flex its culinary prowess and the venues get to bring something exotic to the table while drawing from a new and enthused clientele. Ling Ling’s is currently holed-up at The Gun in Hackney, while Afro-Caribbean Passa Passa has taken over Peckham’s music venue Tola.

SPACE FLIGHTS

Want a distraction from having had the world’s most expensive divorce? Fancy distancing yourself from criticism of your company’s inhumane working conditions? Achieve both by blasting into space in your very own knob-shaped rocket.

SUPERYACHTS

Superyacht owners keep things a oat. Except businesses from their high street retail empire that lose £500m from sta pension funds. Only a Top Man at business could then mysteriously nd the same amount in their own bank account.

GUIDE TO THE MEGA RICH

HOT AIR BALLOONS NEW IDENTITIES

Horrible business practices putting people o your Social Media platforms? Simply change your name! Then, continue to sell the private data of millions for personal gain. For the mega rich, consequences don’t Meta.

SELF-DRIVING CARS

Spend your time attempting to set pointless world records for a laugh. Such as oating around the world in a hot air balloon. Plus, there’s no more relaxing way of getting to your own o shore, tax-haven private island.

Self-driving cars are de nitely safe. Keep your company’s share price safe by courting controversy online. By orchestrating pile-ons and car crashes on Twitter, you’ll distract from the real ones your cars are causing.

For a better experience of the mega rich, make an investment in Grate Britain’s Buttercrumb Biscuits. Baked by hand, using freshly crumbled or grated British cheese.