Raj Sangha, One Stop Franchisee, Birmingham and John Miller, Head of One Stop Franchise
Raj, can you tell us about your store and the One Stop refit?
I’ve been with One Stop since 2015 and my store is nearly 3,000 square feet, with 11 full-time staff in my team. We had an extensive amount of money spent on the shop during the One Stop refit and the store has been finished to a very high standard. During the work, we were only shut for six days and when we re-opened it was like a brand-new store, with a real wow factor!
How have you found it since joining One Stop?
I saw benefits straight away and to see the store continually improving is very pleasing. Thanks to the additional space created by the refit, we have added a Post Office to the store, which has helped generate extra footfall and we now serve an extra 1,500 customers a week.
Our sales have increased by 45% and our basket spend has almost doubled, making all the difference to our margins. The support I get for the day-to-day running of the store has been incredibly beneficial to me when managing the store and it has certainly been financially rewarding.
What about the One Stop promotions?
One Stop have got it right when it comes to their promotions and they’re as good as anything the big supermarkets can offer. This means our customers can get the products they want at a great price on their doorstep. Locally, I don’t think the other shops can compete with us, as the promotions are second-to-none in my store. Branded toilet paper and washing detergent deals are excellent value and the Meal Deal promotion is a no-brainer, as the value is so good.
The feedback from our customers about the promotions is consistently good and they’re very popular in our store.
The One Stop point of sale promotion pack is really helpful for laying out the store and highlighting what’s on offer and this helps the customers when selecting the best deals for them.
What support do you get from One Stop?
I’m really satisfied with One Stop, as I find the support is better compared to other symbol groups. The One Stop team are only a phone call away and are always available to help. It’s better than anything I’ve ever experienced and I’ve been with two symbol groups before.
I have a monthly meeting with our Business Development Manager (BDM), where we look at the sales, how we can get to the next level and how to improve the store. Our BDM is only a text or call away, even out-of-hours. He’s very helpful – he’s a One Stop man!
Technical support is great too – we have a phone number we can call anytime if something goes wrong with the back office or tills. They normally fix any problems over the phone but if they need to come out and get your store up and running again, they will.
John, how do you support Raj and other franchisees you work with?
I can offer One Stop franchisees many years of experience running stores and working with different retailers. I’m always looking to add value to their businesses, to make their stores better and to enable them to grow the profitability their stores.
I’ve worked in retail for 35 years in a variety of roles and I love working with independent retailers. I like to get out into stores and get their views, working in partnership with the franchisees to keep improving the One Stop offer.
Raj, how has the One Stop technology saved you time?
The technology has made me much more independent, as previously so much of my time was taken up going to wholesalers for stock. Now I can spend more time in my store with my customers, as everything is ordered through the One Stop system. We have five main deliveries to our store a week, so I can run my store from my store, instead of in my van! The extra time I’ve saved from not having to go to the wholesalers has given me more family time too.
The EPoS system is very good as running the business day-to-day is all dealt with through the system and gives us the figures we need with just the touch of a button. Stock control is now much better; we didn’t previously have any, so we literally had no idea what stock we had and it was all a guessing game!
Thanks to One Stop my life is easier, as I’m not running around like a headless chicken anymore! I’m far more relaxed as everything is run from the back office and if there’s something I’m not sure of, it’s only a phone call away.
What would you say to someone thinking of joining One Stop?
You’ve got to come on-board whole heartedly – you have to give it 100% and ‘become’ One Stop because it works! For me, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done for my store. One Stop is the way forward!
