Paul Gravell

The Gravelles have three shops and they are extremely adept at working out the ethnography of their customer base and tailoring their range and giving each shop the availability and range they think their customers will need and want.

‘Our Sawbridgeworth store is very traditional so we stock a lot of traditional products and tend not to stock many ethnic products. The Chingford shop that we have just opened is very different and we sell a wide range of ethnic products as there is a lot of different ethnic minorities,’ says Michelle Gravelle.

Offering a wide range is key and the husband and wife team and their staff check each of the stores on a daily basis and do daily ordering to fill any gaps in stock.

‘We carry out investigations daily and make sure all the planograms are up to date. We produce a promotions leaflet every three weeks and we have nearly 4,000 of these delivered.

We try and stock a good range of products so there is something to suit everyone. So in Sawbridgeworth we use a local sausage supplier. He is a recognisable brand and his sausages are very popular. We try and use local suppliers as much as possible,’ says Mrs Gravelle.