The Gourmet Grocer – refining retail

Established during the covid pandemic, The Gourmet Grocer harnessed idle chefs to craft a ‘chef to table’ line of gourmet meals. Starting life as a pop-up store, it flourished, culminating in a purpose-built Enniskillen High Street store.

The first retail venture for brothers, Nicky and Gavin Cassidy, The Gourmet Grocer marks an exciting expansion from their established hospitality business.

Offering deli, grab & go, and heat-to-eat options, The Gourmet Grocer prioritises local, chef-prepared solutions, embracing innovation and customer education. What began as a ‘chef-to-table’ ready meals concept and pop-up store, proved so successful that it was expanded to become a purpose-built store on High Street in the County Fermanagh town.

Located in a former Eason store, the 3000 sq ft space spans from High Street to Paget Lane. Employing 27 staff across their retail and café operations (excluding business owners and group management), the store is a haven for food lovers.

The ground floor features everything from fresh flowers and newspapers to the deli, Chef to Table range, Cook-to-Eat and off licence. From fresh sandwiches/wraps/baps, breakfast and fruit pots, and salads in their grab & go section, to fresh pastries and donuts from their newly-opened bakery section, The Gourmet Grocer caters for all meal options for the discerning customer.

Their Chef to Table range boasts their own ready meals as well as weekend kits and meal deals, while their deli caters for breakfast and lunch offerings.

In another exciting development, a 64-seater café will open on the first floor in the next few weeks.

While this is their first move into the retail sector, Nicky and Gavin Cassidy bring extensive hospitality experience from their successful portfolio including the Westville Hotel, Waters Edge Apartments, Crowes Nest Bar & Restaurant, Industry Nightclub, and the Firehouse Bar & Grill in Enniskillen.

Nicky serves as CEO while Gavin leads as Director of Food. The day-to-day running of The Gourmet Grocer is manager by Retail Brand Manager, Geoff Moore and Manager Claire Quigley, with the help of Pete Watkinson, Assistant Manager.

“The store has filled a crucial gap on Enniskillen High Street, bringing a convenience store offering everyday essentials like water, bread, and milk,” said Nicky.

“Shortly after opening, we launched our deli area, which has become our main footfall driver. The local community and businesses have shown tremendous support and there’s growing excitement for our upcoming Gourmet Café opening.”

With key differentiators including an in-house ‘Chef to Table range, produced by their own chefs and five-star hospitality service standards in a retail setting, The Gourmet Grocer also hosts engaging cooking demonstrations on social media. They also prioritise local sourcing right across their product range, actively partnering with farmers and producers from our region to bring the freshest, highest-quality ingredients to their customers.

“Our innovative approach centres on vertical integration – we operate both our own production unit and retail outlet,” said Nicky.

“This unique model eliminates intermediaries, allowing us to maintain strict quality control while offering premium products at competitive prices.

“Innovation is also reflected in our dynamic product development – our in-house chefs constantly create new meal solutions and recipes, responding to customer preferences and seasonal ingredients. We regularly introduce new ready-meal options, weekend cooking kits, and creative meal solutions that combine convenience with gourmet quality.

“This commitment to culinary innovation, coupled with our farm-to-shelf approach, ensures we stay ahead of food trends while delivering freshness and value to our customers.”

Sustainability is fundamental to their business model, with Nicky and Gavin implementing two key initiatives. First, an integrated production-to-retail model significantly reduces transportation and handling, lowering their carbon footprint. Secondly, they operate a creative waste reduction programme where the deli team transforms surplus store products into delicious daily lunch specials, minimising food waste while offering unique menu items to customers.

“Energy costs currently represent 4.12% of our turnover, which is a significant operational expense for our business,” added Nicky.

“Like many retailers, we’ve had to carefully manage these increased costs while maintaining our commitment to quality and value. We’ve implemented various energy-efficient practices throughout the store, particularly in our refrigeration and lighting systems, which are essential for our fresh produce and prepared meals.

“While prices remain challenging, we’re continuously monitoring usage and exploring new ways to optimise our energy consumption without compromising our service quality or customer experience. This includes investing in energy-efficient equipment during our recent store development and training our staff in energy-conscious practices.”

Inevitably, The Gourmet Grocer has noticed a shift in consumer spending, as the cost-of-living crisis continued, however they also noted their customers were still seeking quality goods, in line with the rise in convenience home-delivered meal kits.

“We’ve observed a clear shift towards convenience-focused shopping, but with a sophisticated twist,” said Nicky.

“Today’s customers are increasingly seeking meals solutions that balance quality, convenience, and value. Our customers want high-quality, restaurant-standard meals they can easily prepare at home, without the premium price tag of dining out. This trend has driven strong demand for our Chef to Table range and meal kits, which offer restaurant-quality food at more accessible price points.

“We’re also seeing customers making more frequent, smaller purchases rather than larger weekly shops, and they’re particularly drawn to our prepared meals and convenience options that help them reduce food waste at home.

“By offering various price points across our range and maintaining competitive pricing on our house-made products, we’re able to help customers maintain their desired quality of life while managing their budgets effectively.”

To effectively communicate these options to their customers, The Gourmet Grocer has focused their marketing strategy on social media engagement. With live cooking demonstrations and weekend and sharing meal kit promotions, they also host in-store tasting events, giving customers the opportunity to see and taste their products before buying.

“The most rewarding aspect of the job is witnessing our week-on-week growth and receiving positive feedback from our customers,” said Nicky.

“The local community was central to our decision to open on High Street, and their continued support validates our commitment to providing this valuable service.”

This support has also helped focus their attention on fostering innovation and continuous improvement. Staying attuned to industry trends, consumer preferences, and emerging technologies, they consistently adapt operations to better serve the community.

And the future looks buoyant for The Gourmet Grocer, with several exciting developments in the pipeline, including the opening of their new Bakery & Barista section at the deli and the Gourmet Café launch in early November, they will enjoy their official store launch next month, kickstarting a tasty and innovative future for the store and its customers.

YOU CAN SEE THE FULL GOURMET GROCER STORE PROFILE IN THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER, CLICK HERE