Terry Caton

Londis, Chesterfield, Derbyshire

“You’ve got to be consistent with making more space in the store by getting rid of the slow-selling lines. Review the new products and make sure you’re focused on seasonal changes and anything that’s happening within the trade. That could be looking at new and upcoming categories such as vaping or specific products like Prime drinks this year. It’s about making sure you’re on the front foot.

“You need to have had your pumpkins out in time for Halloween, and make sure your store is decorated and stocked up for each season. It’s about constant range review. You’ve got to use the information that’s at your fingertips – EPoS data. That will tell you what’s working and what’s not. If it’s not working, is there a way to help it perform better by relocating it?

“We do exceptionally well with bananas now we’ve moved them to a special stand at the counter.”

Bart Dalla Mura

Tysoe Village Stores, Warwickshire

“It’s a good idea to have a good look at the front of the store because that’s what every person will see, whether they come in or not. Most people won’t notice most things, but the front of the shop has the biggest impact. It’s always good to have a little bit of a refresh on that, especially as the seasons change. I’ve got Halloween stuff and pumpkins out at the front of my store. As soon as that’s over, we’ll get the Christmas things out.

“Another thing we’ve done is we’ve started offering ‘buy one, get one free’ on our impulse ice cream range at the moment so I can get them cleared out of the store. I used to put them in a big freezer at the back of the store until the following summer, but the electricity charges for that outweigh any profit I might make. I’ll sell no impulse ice cream once the clocks have changed, so I’m churning out promotions on them. I’m doing promotions rather than discounts because I want to get rid of them.”

Kopi Kalanathan

Costcutter Kirk Sandall, South Yorkshire

“It’s all about the store layout. I don’t fancy spending thousands of pounds on completely refitting the store. You just need to make small changes to the layout of the store. There’s no point keeping groceries at the front of the store if they’re just collecting dust there. If we move them, then we can utilise that space for something else. We’ve tried to implement a food-to-go offer in most of the store. The slushies are now selling all year round as a product, not just during summer. It’s the same with our cakes.

“It doesn’t take much to change the layout. You can do it with a few people – just dismantle some shelves and move it around. But it will make a difference and people do want to see some change. You want to be doing more with your value products because that’s the way things are going at the moment with inflation on the rise and people looking for value lines.”

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