Designing a store with the local customer base in mind has always been a big challenge for retailers, and the current economic climate means they have to be especially conscious of what their consumers want and need.

The cost-of-living crisis, while posing challenges of its own, has not diluted the need for retailers to be sustainable, and retailers must be mindful of both, particularly when refitting and planning to upgrade and improve the services they provide.

This has been the case with Premier Talbot Village, a 1,900sq ft store located in Bournemouth, run by Arun Ehamparam. Earlier in the year, it was refitted at a cost of £170,000 and reopened in September 2022.

It has an advantageous location, situated very near to Bournemouth University campus, as well as residential properties. This proximity provides for a consistent footfall of customers and the opportunity to get an idea of what customers are looking for in a newly refitted convenience store.

On a recent visit to Premier Talbot Village, Martyn Parkinson, sales director at Booker Wholesale, told betterRetailing that the refit provided the opportunity to implement and trial a number of sustainability initiatives that are designed to cut carbon emissions, as well as save labour time and money.

These include new refrigeration, meant to cool produce more efficiently, QR codes that allow access to in-store booklets, electronic labels that save approximately 14 hours a week in labour costs, refill stations and the use of paper bags as opposed to plastic.

In addition, the store has a beer cave, which Parkinson said almost doubled alcohol sales in just two weeks.

Parkinson expects the £170,000 it cost to refit the store to be paid back between four and five months.