Marketing and flexibility are key to converting newspaper delivery customers into wider grocery orders, according to a London home news delivery company that has branched out.

Nazim Zerouala, co-owner of Z News in Cricklewood, north-west London, began introducing a premium grocery range in late 2019 and is now looking to continue the service’s growth.

The roundsman told Better Retailing: “We wanted to do it for some time – it was just the logistics. Home news deliverers are one of the only businesses to operate seven days. Milk delivery is six days, for instance, which gives us an advantage.”

EXCLUSIVE: Independent retailers win 75% of claims against news wholesalers

Asked how he converted paper-and-magazine customers to purchase a wider basket of items, Zerouala said: “We’ve got good customer service, so the trust is there. The key is to keep advertising it, through newsletters, e-mails and the website. Your service has to be at the forefront of customers’ minds, so we make sure they have the terms, our range and our prices to hand.”

The service is also part of Z News’ strategy to win back office customers. “We were hoping by the end of February we’d see things start returning to normal. We’re telling business customers we can do their milk and extras. If, by the end of the month, things work out, we’ll tell them we’re still here. The combination of milk, bread, paper and juice is important, and if it does pick up, it will pick up slowly – it’ll take a few more months.”