Follow your instincts

Parvinder and Amandeep Klair have transformed a run-down convenience store on the banks of the river Glen into a thriving community hub.

Sometimes in life, you just have a hunch that you’re on to a good thing. Even if at first, it might not seem that clear-cut. Husband and wife duo Parvinder and Amandeep Klair had a hunch they were on to a good thing when they first set foot inside an old run-down convenience store on the banks of the river Glen in Surfleet, Lincolnshire, back in 2019.

And it’s a good thing that hunch was strong, because it needed to overpower a number of prominent obstacles present at the outset. Namely: the old unaffiliated store’s state, the distinct lack of stock and the overpowering odour of fish thanks to the bait and tackle shop next door!

Parvinder, known to his shoppers and the wider Surfleet community as PK, explains: “While I’d been brought up in the convenience industry by my parents who ran a store in Doncaster, I had actually spent the years following university working in various management roles for a local packaging company based in Doncaster, where we lived. My wife Amandeep however, had been working alongside my parents in their store for many years and loved it.”

She loved it so much in fact, that when PK’s parents made the decision to retire and sell up in 2018, he and Amandeep decided to establish a store of their own that Amandeep would run while PK continued to work at the packaging company. In a bid to find the store of their dreams, PK and Amandeep expanded their search nationally, eventually stumbling on the small village of

ON A ROLL: Amandeep and Parvinder know an opportunity when they see one.

Surfleet – more than 70 miles away.

“From the moment we saw it, and despite its sorry state and the distance, we knew that the site ticked all the key boxes for us,” PK explains. “The size was the first thing. The existing convenience store and associated fishing tackle business offered the space we were looking for and the residential property above was nice and roomy too. The location was the key though. The village itself is very picturesque, with a good amount of residential housing, plus lots of holiday rentals owing to its scenic location which also makes it very popular with walkers and hikers. The store itself overlooks the river Glen, which is popular with boaters and fishermen. We just had a hunch that the site would lead to a fantastic opportunity.”

Making the most of that opportunity however, would require a vast amount of work.

“We took over the store in January 2019 and immediately set to work trying to build the stocks back up,” PK explains. “While it had a Post Office which did drive footfall, the store itself was very run down with almost no stock and practically no chilled offer. The previous owners had also barely invested in the store since the late 80s, so all the fixtures and fittings were very dated, as was the flooring, while the ceiling had cracks in it.”

As part of their stock-building exercise, one of the first things that PK and Amandeep did was to invest in two new 3.75m and 2.5m chillers, plus a new freezer, to offer local shoppers a good core fresh and chilled offer.

“Back then Amandeep was running the store during the week with the help of a wonderful lady called June who we recruited at the outset and has been an incredible support ever since,” PK adds. “I was still working for the Doncaster packaging company, doing a 140-mile roundtrip every day and helping out in the store on evenings and weekends. It was utterly exhausting.”

And then Covid-19 hit. “Lockdown changed everything,” PK recalls. “Business boomed overnight and it was during that time that I left my packaging company job to focus on the store full time.” For local shoppers, the store’s new fresh and chilled focus transformed it into a real life-line during lockdown and PK and Amandeep pulled out all the stops to maintain stocks and supplies – much to the delight of local shoppers.

“From the outset we had a really positive response from the local community and during lockdown I went anywhere and everywhere I could to source stock and better support our local shoppers,” he says. “It helped to create an incredibly strong bond with local shoppers that we continue to build on.”

And so, emboldened by the warmth of local affection, in early 2022 PK and Amandeep decided to make a significant investment in the business.

“We knew that we wanted symbol group membership from the start and the Premier offer immediately stood out for us,” PK explains. “It was the right fit for us and for the local community and from the minute we met our RDM Dan Inott we knew we were on to a winner.”

Store CV:

Name: Premier PK Glenside, Surfleet, Spalding Retailers: Parvinder and Amandeep Klair Size:1,000 sq ft Staff: 3 Services: Post Office, National Lottery Hours: 7am till 7pm Mon to Sat 8am-5pm Sun

The store closed down on 28 Feb 2022 while the mammoth task of gutting the interior and knocking down the wall between the old fishing tackle shop and the old convenience store took place.

“It was a big job but actually a relatively simple one as it all had to be ripped out and started again which gave us a totally blank canvas,” PK explains. “The team was incredible and the whole build and fit-out came together seamlessly. It was wonderful to watch it being created, I thoroughly enjoyed the process,” he adds.

Having been extended from 600sq ft to just over 1,000sq ft and fully re-fitted, the store proudly re-opened as Premier Glenside on 10 March 2022. “Shoppers were absolutely blown away by the change,” PK says. “The increase in the size of the shop floor means that we’ve been able to extend ranges that were already selling well, such as soft drinks, snacks and chilled, and also introduce totally new ranges such as a ‘Refresh’ drinks to go zone.

“The new Refresh Zone has been a particularly big hit and is something that all the shoppers comment on. It includes bean to cup coffee, complemented by a Fwip machine and Jolly Rancher slush. There’s nothing else like it around here and we’ve had such positive feedback. The offer is so popular with locals but also with the many hikers and holiday-makers who visit the village, especially the Fwip ice cream of which we are currently selling around 20 cups a day.”

Other new categories added to the store’s mix have included American confectionery and vape. “Vape was something that a growing number of shoppers were asking us for, especially the disposable vapes,” PK adds.

Ranges that were already selling well were allocated more room as part of the refit. A hit with locals and thirsty hikers alike, soft drinks, for example were treated to 4m of new chilled space. “The store you see today looks so bright, clean and exciting. It’s also incredibly professional looking thanks to the Premier promotions and the branded POS. The old store didn’t even have shelf labels! Price is important to our shoppers and we now offer all the core Premier promotions along with other optional deals that we know will be popular with our shoppers. We also have the benefit of the new Jack’s range which offers great value for money in a high-quality format.”

M274858 Ribena Blackcurrant PMP

12 x 500ml M274975 Ribena Light Mango & Lime PMP 12 x 500ml M274974 Ribena Light Pineapple & Passion Fruit PMP 12 x 500ml M274903 Ribena Light Strawberry PMP 12 x 500ml M274979 Ribena Raspberry PMP 12 x 500ml M274978 Ribena Light Blackcurrant PMP 12 x 500ml M274859 Ribena Very Berry PMP 12 x 500ml

The store’s Premier-supplied range is also complemented by new local lines including cakes made by the local church and bread from the local bakery. Despite all the new and extended ranges, thanks to Premier’s effi cient planning and merchandising, PK says that the store has managed to retain “a wonderful open and airy feel, which is so important to shoppers today”.

“Going forward we’re continuing to keep an eagle-eye on category performance and tweak where we need to,” he adds. “For example, American confectionery is selling really well, so we will probably look to dedicate slightly more space to that, along with crisps in the near future. Multipacks are also fl ying now that shoppers are enjoying sharing occasions to the full once again.”

And multipacks aren’t the only thing fl ying. Sales at Premier Glenside have also shot up by 35% since the February 2022 refi t and continue to grow month on month. Average basket spend has also on month. Average basket spend has also ballooned to £12.

“We’ve noticed that shoppers are shopping far more of the store now,” PK says. “Prior to the refi t, lots of shoppers came in just for the Post Offi ce, or just to came in just for the Post Offi ce, or just to buy a couple of essential items but now they are buying really big baskets. We’re welcoming in new trade from younger audiences thanks to the Refresh and American confectionery off er while many of our elderly shoppers are now buying bigger baskets and shopping more regularly with us too.

“We’ve made such progress in the last three and a half years and we are just so optimistic about the future. We’ve really got to know the local community and have become a key become a key outside our store. “This summer we also helped to organise a big celebration for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee,” he comments. “Once again Premier Glenside donated all drinks for that event and I ran the bar on the day. I also managed to get the Royal cakemaker David Avery to make us a special Jubilee cake for the event, which we sponsored. community day and we received lots of coverage in the local press which was so rewarding. We are just so thrilled with what we’ve built here and continue to develop, it was defi nitely a hunch that proved to be

part of it. As the local convenience retailer, I was well aware of the positive diff erence I could make to the local community so I also joined the ‘Celebrate Surfl eet’ committee almost as soon as we bought the store.”

The committee organises all the community events, such as the Summer and Christmas fetes and the store donates all the drinks for those. Last year, funds raised by the committee helped to buy a community defi brillator, which has been positioned outside our store. “This summer we also helped to organise a big celebration for

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee,” he comments. “Once again Premier

Glenside donated all drinks for that event and I ran the bar on the day.

I also managed to get the Royal cakemaker David Avery to make us a special Jubilee cake for the event, which we sponsored. “It was such a wonderful community day and we received lots of coverage in the local press which was so rewarding. We are just so thrilled with what we’ve built here and continue to develop, it was defi nitely a hunch that proved to be a hit.”