Retailer Ram Thangavelu’s new Premier store in Brunton Park, Newcastle, is seeing success after its substantial internal rebuild and fit-out.

The store offers high-quality fresh, chilled and frozen goods, and is located on a shopping parade among a deli, butcher and other independent stores. The Premier opened on 15 December 2023 after a refit, with new roof fitted overhead, while inside internal walls and structures were demolished to make way for a new 1,000sq ft shop floor. A 100sq ft beer cave and smaller 60sq ft ‘pop cave’ were built at the side of the store.

Thangavelu said: “We have 7.5 metres of fresh and chilled produce including fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, ready meals and dairy products and shoppers are thrilled. No other store on the parade offers a range like this, so shoppers see it as a huge benefit. One key learning that we have made since opening is that shoppers here prefer premium products, and they also favour local goods.”

The store also features five Refresh Q5 machines and food-to-go, sourced locally from the local deli.

Working with his Premier regional deloyment manager Vicki Chapman, Thangavelu has introduced a number of new premium chilled lines from Booker since the store’s launch, including higher-end cheeses such as Stilton and Camembert.

New Londis store sees high basket spend

Thangavelu is in the process of introducing more local cheeses, and additional local fruit and vegetable lines, in response to demand, and has reported that the local bakery offer has also proved to be a major hit.

Thangavelu added that he is also currently in talks with the local butcher about introducing an exclusive range of local pre-packed meats.

He continued: “It’s only been a few weeks since opening but the community has embraced us with open arms. We’ve even had a visit from the local pre-school who brought in a welcome card, handmade by the children, which was incredibly touching.

“We’re really looking forward to growing our community bonds going forward. And it’s not just community goodwill that’s on the up, sales are also performing ahead of expectations, with average basket spend currently sitting at £10 and growing. The business has started very well. There’s so much promise here and I can’t wait to see what the year ahead has in store.”

Martyn Parkinson, the symbol group’s sales director, retail, said: “What a fantastic job Ram and the Premier team have done, the whole store looks incredible, and it is brilliant to see how well it is doing already. Looking forward to seeing how the store performs in 2024. Well done to everyone involved.”

Read more Premier Stores news and articles