Nimit Patel has used staff training and expertise from manufacturers to massively increase sales in his ethnic foods category. He has also hugely increased tobacco and alcohol sales thanks to clearer presentation of his shop counter – something that saw him nominated in the 2009 IAA awards for Merchandising.
“My store introduced an ethnic food range in March 2009 and shortly afterwards asked the manufacturers to send a representative to provide staff training in this area. The results have been impressive. We used to sell in the region of £2,500 a week in ethnic foods, but now this has increased to £4,200.
“We always strive to have clear category sections and to present product ranges in vertical rows. The use of an Epos system has enabled us to promptly make changes in pricing. We pride ourselves on providing clear labeling so customers can quickly see special offers.
“We tend to use the planograms offered by Londis and this has been particularly effective when making changes to the front of the shop. In the past we used to have a lot of products displayed on our counter, but I was told that too many products at the front of the counter restrict a customer’s view of items behind the till. In the past we used to sell £10,000 worth of cigarettes and alcohol, but now it has increased to £14,000.”
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