Dan Amin, One Stop Franchisee, Coventry and Sunil Kumar, Business Development Manager
Dan, tell us about your One Stop stores.
We’ve been with One Stop since 2017 and we operate two stores under the franchise model. We are also converting a third shop and all our stores in the future will be One Stop’s.
We have a Post Office in each of our stores and One Stop give us the support we need with other services such as PayPoint, the National Lottery, Coffee machines and Food to Go counters.
The £50,000 One Stop refit in each store was greatly needed and we’ve been able to drastically improve the look of each store. Prior to the refit, one of our stores had no windows and therefore no natural light coming in. It was very dark and dingy and looked tired and dated. During the refit a new floor was installed, along with proper shelving, windows and the whole store was generally brightened up.
Our stores now look inviting to customers and are fresh, clean and sharp looking. The renovation team are highly professional, and our second store was only closed for two days during the whole refit process.
What have been the key improvements you’ve seen since joining One Stop?
Since moving to the One Stop model, we’ve seen a 50% increase in sales, an increase in footfall and also in customers’ basket spend. Our customers have commented on the increased availability of products and, with our sales increasing week-on-week, we’re surpassing our previous figures all the time. This, along with the price points and the increased margins with One Stop, have all had a huge impact on our stores.
Tell us more about the One Stop promotions
The Meal Deals are amazing! Our customers always come in and tell us that they love them, especially as many of them expect to pay over the odds, so the price is quite a surprise. The 3 for £1.20 on chocolate is popular too, at Christmas we have an offer of 3 for £5 on the big boxes of chocolates which was a fantastic footfall driver. The margins on the promotions are good, so it’s sustainable for us to run the promotions and great for our customers.
Sunil, how do you support Dan with the store?
I’m here to support Dan and help increase sales and profitability, lower costs and to act as a trusted advisor for him. I visit at least once a month and more if he needs extra support.
I work very closely with Dan, guiding him through a suite of financial reports each visit and to plan next steps, the aim being to increase sales and profitability and maintain the store.
I offer practical advice to all the franchisees I look after as a Business Development Manager, whether it relates to people, investment, cash flow, or managing products and range. We can go through a whole catalogue of the products available to best suit their stores and offer commercial and practical advice.
Compared to other symbol groups, One Stop visits are a lot more structured and there’s a lot more science and depth behind our visits. My background is based in large, national retailers around the UK, which benefits the franchisees I work with because I can bring a wealth of experience to their store.
Dan, how do the One Stop systems and processes make your life easier?
The systems are amazing and make a big difference to the back office, which I think is the heart of the store. It has made my life a lot easier and the simplicity of the systems allows us to grow the number of shops we have and plan for the future. The ease of running the stores frees us to do more things in the business and to spend more time with our families.
The IT systems and support are second to none and I think One Stop are well ahead of other symbol groups out there. The seven day a week support is invaluable as we know there is always help at the end of the phone if we need it.
The e-learning programmes help our staff to complete courses and remain up-to-date with the law and regulations in our industry. This system means I don’t have to train the staff myself so I have more time myself. I’ve got a good team in place and I have much less on my plate, as the systems take care of it for me. It’s not a chore coming to work anymore and I have much less stress in my life. I call One Stop ‘easy trading’!
