Retailer Pradeep Kumar Velayudan opened the Londis store in October 2023 in the waterside development of Chatham Waters in Gillingham, Kent.

The 2,102 square foot store sits at the bottom of an apartment block, featuring other shops, bars and leisure facilities.

The new store features 12 doors of chilled food, plus ambient produce, fresh and chilled products and eight doors for chilled drinks.

There are also 10 doors of chilled alcohol plus a dedicated drinks corner for red wines, ambient ales and special offers. A bespoke food to go counter has been created at the front right-hand side of the store featuring a Tango Ice Blast machine, Hot food to go and the new-style Costa Coffee machine which serves both hot and iced drinks.

Responding to the trend towards frozen foods, the new store also features a great value four-door frozen range featuring key branded and Jack’s lines as well as the Londis frozen Meal Deal.

Velayudan said: “Thanks to Londis, we can offer fantastic value for money across all categories and beyond. This store is so different from my others. The customer count at my Bexley Heath store for example is very high but shoppers tend to buy just a handful of items.

“Here in Chatham Waters, it’s baskets. The average basket spend is over £20 already, which is fantastic. Once all the flats are occupied and our footfall grows, we’ll be flying. I was also clear from the start that I wanted to create a store that would act as a true hub for this new community, a place that they could rely on for all their daily needs and services and I couldn’t wait to get started.

“None of this would have been possible without the support of Londis though and especially my retail design managers Steven Rumsby and Brian Neve – who have both given me such wonderful help. Everything is heading in the right direction, and I can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for us.”

Stewart Fenn, sales director – retail, Booker Group, said: “What a brilliant job Pradeep and the Londis team have done, another brilliant store opened. I am really looking forward to seeing how the store performs in 2024 as there is huge potential to continue to grow and drive sales. Well done to everyone involved.”

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