Selly’s newsagent has been serving the residents of Barry, Cardiff, for over 16 years under the ownership of husband and wife, Garry and Jackie Hughes. The building itself has been a community shop for more than 100 years, so when the Hughes joined the One Stop family they were keen to preserve its history while expanding to better serve the needs of their local customers.
The Hughes were operating out of the small 500 sq. ft. store offering a limited range and services, but with a loyal customer base through their strong HND service (over 700 deliveries a day) and first class customer service, they knew the potential was there. Mr Hughes said: “We needed to progress since the Post Office closed at this end of the crescent, as all local businesses have been affected. We needed to expand, offer more products and bring a bit of life back to this end of the road.”
In order to evolve their offer and accommodate their customers changing shopping habits, they obtained a free site on the opposite side of the road. With the combined help of a NatWest funding package and the market-leading £50k refit package One Stop franchise offers, the store has relocated across the road and now stands at an impressive 1,700 sq. ft.
The new store has created six new jobs in the community, which have been filled by local Barry residents and even previous customers! The store now employs eight staff from Barry, which are supported by a large newspaper delivery team. Mrs Hughes added: “We’ve had so many positive comments, it’s a leap forward for us and we’re thrilled that we’ve been able to employ more staff. We aim to give every customer the same friendly, personal service you don’t often get in the big supermarkets – service with a smile”.
The store now meets the needs of the local residents stocking exciting new product lines at competitive prices. A welcome addition is the fantastic range of fresh and chilled produce, along with a fully stocked off license and great meal deals including the extensive £3 lunch time deal and the 2 for £4 evening dinner offer.
We visited Gary and Jackie again in February 2017 and they shared their thoughts on the partnership since joining One Stop.
‘One Stop gave us lots of information regarding the EPoS system, how our shelves would look and the design of the store. We now offer a lot more products compared to our old CTN, where we only had a limited range. Bread and daily products are very popular and sell more than we’ve ever sold before.
Since partnering with One Stop, Garry is pleased to provide many new services to his customers.
‘The services in our One Stop store are far better than we had in our CTN. We now have a lottery, pay points, cash machine and coffee machine. We also offer a good lunchtime deal – three items for £3.’
The improved technology means Garry can spend more time providing great customer service and the parts of running a shop that he enjoys.
‘We used to be on a basic till system in our old store, but when we moved over to the new EPoS system, we understood how everything works. The benefits of the technology include how to manage stock levels, auto-replenishment and reports on how the business is running from day to day.’
Garry is now able to combine his own experience, feedback from customers and advice from his dedicated Business Development Manager to continually improve his already well-rounded and efficient store.
‘Our customers have given us good feedback and they’re all enjoying their new store, as they’re now able to buy more locally instead of visiting the bigger supermarkets. Our BDM visits monthly, but he’s always available on the phone. It’s extremely valuable and it gives us a lot of confidence every time he comes in to check on the store.’
