Trade comment from Sean Russell

Trade comment from Sean Russell

Director of Marketing for Costcutter Supermarkets group, Sean Russell, shares how the company has thrived over the last year

 The convenience retail landscape may be continuing to experience unprecedented amounts of change but our fundamental objective – to help independent retailers thrive – remains the same.

Helping our independent retailers thrive means investing in the offer, insights and innovations our retailers need. As a result, our retailers are now able to engage more shoppers to attract them in store and spend more, while also making it as easy as possible to run their business and reduce costs through an extensive package of business services. By working closely with our retailers to make the most of everything we provide, we are helping stores across the UK increase sales.

We have also been rewarding our retailers’ loyalty with our best-in-sector commercial terms that includes no fees or surcharges and a rebate of up to 6 percent. This, coupled with the economies of our scale, removes the need for time-wasting trips to the cash and carry.

As a result, we have been attracting some of the best store owners in the sector to join Costcutter Supermarkets Group. Today that means not only being able to choose from our well-recognised Costcutter, Mace, SuperShop and Simply Fresh brands, but also being able to opt to become a Co-op franchise store.

For entrepreneurial retailers who are looking to grow their business, the successful launch of our new supply deal with the Co-op in May last year is clearly a major factor in the decision to join our group as we bring together their wholesale strength and grocery retailing expertise with our in-depth understanding of the independent convenience sector.

Our retailers now have access to a broad product range that allows them to reach far beyond the old convenience staples of impulse and tobacco. Our retailers can now access a wide selection of categories allowing them to become strong and competitive in areas such as chilled and fresh, especially because our range now includes Co-op’s own brand products. This is a major draw for shoppers helping to deliver increased footfall and sales. Coupled with a strong supply chain that is providing a reliable delivery service day in, day out, our retailers are benefitting from the right range, pricing and promotional offer they need to grow their sales and margin.

The result is a steady increase in retailer sales which we plan to further develop by delivering the second phase of our Shopper First investment programme.

Based on the insights gained from the most comprehensive shopper study in our 30-year history, Shopper First is our sector-leading transformation programme that brings together new brand and store design, shopper insights and sales driving range initiatives.

This year we will be expanding the shopper insights we provide and making them easier to action. Our Shopper First “dashboards” will show our retailers how their shoppers’ behaviour presents major opportunities for them to meet local demand and preferences. Combined with the very best range and category advice, as well as marketing and technology support, we will help our retailers optimise our offer and grow their business.

In fact, for many of our retailers it is small, incremental changes and a focus on consistently high store standards which have delivered the strongest results and we will continue to share best practice and secrets to success across our network.

That collaborative approach will be the hallmark of our success. Our retailers are helping us to shape CSG’s future and only by listening to their experiences, ideas and suggestions will we be able to drive their continued growth in a highly competitive and dynamic sector.