“One of the first things I noticed is how well the store is categorised,” says Simon. “With confectionery, for example, there is such a wide range available that you need to be so astute about what you’re stocking, and how you display it.”

Prabhjot explains that they have all the bestsellers in stock, and have worked hard to ensure they are displayed clearly. “We watch what customers are choosing and use our EPoS system to decide what to include in our range.

Simon congratulates the Sand­hus on the way they have created an impulse area around the till but “secondary siting or highlight­ing special offers is something you could make more of,” he adds. “For example, you’ve got a great selec­tion of crisps and they’re all clearly priced. Simon advises Prabhjot that she could add to this by printing promotional prices onto a different coloured paper. “Yellow labels stand out among the white and will help to drive impulse sales of these prod­ucts,” he explains.

Simon is impressed by how well stocked the store is.  Prabhjot explains how products are refilled from the back whenever they start to run low. “This helps us avoid out of dates as well as gaps,” she says. “Also, because we don’t have a lot of storage space we have to be really good at getting stock out onto the shelves.”

“We’ve tried a number of ideas, some of which haven’t worked and some which have really taken off. The take-away coffee machine we’ve installed next to the confectionery has been really popu­lar, and nobody buys just a coffee,” says Prabhjot.

Simon thinks the shop’s location and wide customer base means that there is opportunity to do even more, such as picnic packs and links deals to create a sense of occasion for customers.