Invest to Impress

impress Invest to impress Coldean Convenience 02 is a shining example of the power of smaller regular investments.

FAMILY AFFAIR: Manish and Raj Suchak.

Store CV:

Name: Coldean Convenience 02 Retailer: Manish Suchak Size: 1,000sq ft Opening hours: Mon-Fri 6am10pm Sat-Sun 7am-10pm Services: Deliveroo, Free ATM, Lotto Staff: 6 Key categories: Alcohol, Vape, Refresh If it’s not broke don’t fix it,” is not a saying commonly heard in the Suchak household and certainly not around the family business – a 1,000sq ft Premier store in village of Coldean near Brighton.

The business, which was originally established by owner Manish, a former pharmacist, and his brothers, has been pumped with a near continuous programme of investment and innovation since it first opened back in 1986.

Back then it was a small “Post Office and sweet shop” while Manish ran the pharmacy in the unit immediately next door. The

EVOLUTION: The store has evolved and grown over the years.

subsequent years have seen the business change almost beyond recognition thanks to a steady stream of expansions, refits and makeovers, including a significant change back in 1990, when Manish’s purchase of a third unit enabled the family to create a far larger convenience store and in-store pharmacy. Further refits ensued, including the adoption of the Premier fascia in the early 2000s.

Then in 2018, and following Manish’s retirement as a pharmacist, yet another build ensued which saw Manish and his son Raj create the 1,000sq ft dedicated convenience space currently trading today.

DRINK TO THAT: Drinks to go sit alongside an extensive chilled drinks range.

“The last four years have been incredibly successful for us,” Manish says. “We’ve always been a very community-focused store, with very loyal local shoppers, but during the pandemic, footfall soared as locals shopped even more regularly and we attracted new shoppers from further afi eld.”

“Fortunately we’ve managed to keep hold of those new shoppers and the heightened levels of footfall and basket spend. Those shoppers haven’t gone straight back to the supermarkets, they’ve stayed loyal to us and I think that our constant investment in the business has a lot to do with that,” Manish explains.

In December 2021 and, despite the store’s weekly turnover still well over 30% up on pre-pandemic levels, Manish and Raj planned yet another investment – this time a move designed to appeal to its younger shoppers and make the space more “Instagram-friendly.”

“For us, investment has to be ongoing,”

GET FRESH: The fresh produce range is popular.

BIG DEAL: Great promotions drive footfall and sales.

Manish says. “You can’t wait for something to break before you fi x it, standing still is not an option.

“We live in an Instagram generation now. Shoppers want a store that will not just service all their needs but that also looks the part, especially younger shoppers.

“Younger shoppers want so much more from their local stores. They want them to be places where they feel connected, valued and listened to. Where the concepts, ranges and off ers speak to them, where they can have fun.

“While the store is shopped by a high mix of middle-aged and elderly shoppers, we also benefi t from a signifi cant youth trade thanks to Brighton University’s nearby halls of residence,” Manish says.

“With this latest refi t we really wanted to off er something diff erent and special

GOOD TO GO: The new Refresh zone has been a hit.

Manish invested £30,000 creating a new Refresh zone and updating key fixtures and fittings

LARGING IT: Larger format drinks have sold well recently.

to those shoppers and Premier’s Refresh concept was the perfect solution.”

An eight-day fi t out process in December 2021 saw the store kitted out with a smart new Refresh zone at the front, including a Tango Ice Blast machine and Costa Express.

The store’s existing slush machine was also retained in order to give shoppers on a budget a good value for money proposition.

“The Refresh section has been an overwhelming success,” Manish laughs. “It’s not a large section but it’s made a huge diff erence already.

“The students love it, they love the products but even more than that I think they love the fact that it shows that we are a store that values them,” he says.

“We already had a great-looking convenience store and technically we didn’t need to invest in it just then, but in my opinion you shouldn’t wait until there’s a need, as by then it’s probably becoming too late.”

SPACE: The store’s 1,000sq ft dedicated convenience space gas been optimised for current shopper trends.

But the new Refresh zone wasn’t the only upgrade made. “The addition of the Refresh zone meant that we had to invest in some new higher shelving units to retain the breadth of our existing range,” Manish says. “We also took the opportunity to remerchandise the store and move some of the chilled cabinets around.

“We added an extra soft drinks chiller at the front of the store to really push our new drinks-to-go and Refresh off er, and we moved our existing dairy fridge closer to the back of the store.”

Not ones for half measures though, Manish and Raj also took the opportunity to fi t smart new LED ceiling lights and fl ooring.

“Lighting technology has come such a long, long way in the last fi ve years alone,” Manish says. “The new lights are visually stunning and they set the products off beautifully, everything just pops under them. It’s honestly the bee’s knees!

“Moving our dairy cabinet to the back of the store has resulted in more of the store being shopped. Shoppers after essential items such as milk and butter now have to navigate the length of the store in order to do so and we are already fi nding that this is resulting in additional purchases. The number of shoppers who say to me ‘I only came in for one thing’ as they pay for three or four items is quite astounding,” Manish says.

As such, average basket spend is now £10, while Manish estimates that weekly spend has increased by around 10% since the refi t.

“We now have a great impulse area at the front of the store which really appeals to our local shoppers and gives us a fresh new edge.

“At 1,000sq ft, we didn’t have a huge amount of space to play with but the Premier planners, working in collaboration with Raj, did a fantastic job and the funny

GOOD SIGN: Exterior signage focuses on daily essentials and great deals.

GROCERY GOAL: The grocery category has seen a resurgence in fortunes. thing is that lots of shoppers seem to think we’ve extended!

“The store just feels roomier with the re-jigged layout. It’s amazing just how effective clever merchandising can be.”

The refit also included a makeover outside the store, including a smart new black and white paint job and updated Premier window graphics. “The whole effect is really striking,” Manish says.

“What we have now is a really fancylooking shop. Shoppers see what we’ve done and they know we’ve done it for them. It makes them feel important and valued and in return they repay us with greater loyalty.

“The whole project cost us £30,000, which in my opinion is very good value for money for something so powerful.

“We were already trading at a very high level for a store of our size, making any increase pretty incredible.”

Away from the shop floor, the refit also included the conversion of some former back-room space into a cosy private room for staff to relax in when on breaks.

“Prior to the refit, staff didn’t really have a nice private space for themselves to unwind in when on breaks. They really appreciate the fact we’ve given them one now. It’s a small thing that makes a big difference to them,” Manish adds.

And while the positive impact of regular refits and makeovers certainly can’t be denied, Manish and Raj’s packed programme of community support also plays a key role when it comes to leveraging loyalty.

“Having run the local pharmacy alongside the convenience business for more than 30 years, I’m on first name terms with almost all of our local shoppers,” says Manish.

“I’ve also lived in the village for the last 20 years so everyone around here knows me; I certainly get asked to sign an awful lot of passport applications!

“As a business, we have always maintained very strong links with the local school, and the store currently supplies all the food for its daily Breakfast Club, including milk, cereal, fruit and bread.

“We also support the local food bank with a £500 drop every two months, and we provide funding to the local cat shelter each month.

“Right now we are also organising a Platinum Jubilee event for the whole village. It will be held in the grounds of our

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MULTIPACKS: Multipacks are more popular than ever. RAISING THE BAR: Vaping bars are fl ying off the shelves.

CHILL OUT: Chilled alcohol is a big draw.

Average basket spend is now £10 with turnover up 10% since the investment

local church, and we will provide all the food for that, so it should hopefully be a wonderful day for all to enjoy.

“The value of community support really can’t be understated. It’s so important to us as a community-centric business and something that we genuinely want to do. Shoppers recognise that and so in turn they support us.”

And when it comes to the topic of support, Manish is also keen to highlight the role that Premier continues to play in the success of the business.

“I have to give Premier a big mention as their support is invaluable. When you join Premier, you join a team and I know that if I have any challenges or problems along the way, they will be on hand to help me where they can.

“Premier’s promotions also play a vital role. The brand is very competitive on price, and we endeavour to run as many of the Premier promotions as possible. At the end of the day all shoppers love a bargain.

“We are currently running a promotion on 1.75L bottles of Diet Coke and Coca-Cola which is two for £2.50 and literally every shopper is picking up two. The take-up is huge. We sell a vast amount of stock on promotion, and of course we support it with the Premier POS to really drive the value message home.

“PMPs also play a big role, especially at the moment when shoppers are more conscious of the price of goods, and we buy as much PMP stock as we can.

“We place a lot of emphasis on the core range. You don’t need an extensive range, just a really good mix of best-sellers. In our store, everything sells.”

However, two categories performing “exceptionally well” at the moment are alcohol and vape.

“Alcohol is currently one of our strongest sellers and we have 6m of chilled beers and wines, with wine in growth as shoppers increasingly pop in for a bottle and a meal for tonight’s solution,” Manish adds.

“Vape is a star performer though. Just over a year ago we were fortunate enough to employ a young man who used to work in a vape shop and he has really helped us to evolve our range and become a destination for vape.

“We currently off er a large range of disposable devices that we get from Booker, and that side of the business is doing phenomenally well.

“For a relatively new category I honestly cannot believe how quickly it has become such an integral part of our business and it highlights just how benefi cial it is to keep up with the latest trends.

“Fortunately, at 27 years old, my son Raj is very clued up on all the latest innovations as well as taking an active role in promoting the store on social media and I’m incredibly happy to let him take the lead on these things. He is the next generation and I look forward to seeing where the next 30-odd years take us!”