Nisa-Today’s is a unique organisation, founded by independent retailers for independent retailers. It works closely with all of its members to deliver initiatives and services that increase their margin, raise their profile and help them compete against national supermarket chains.
The fresh produce department at Nisa-Today’s was originally formed eight years ago to supply smaller stores with a limited range of pre-packed produce and as the organisation has grown and developed, the requirement on produce procurement has evolved, to offer a complete range of pre-packed and loose product to all store sizes and types.
“As the business has grown, we are able to deal with more growers and packers directly; this has had a huge impact on quality, consistency of supply and price,” says Nisa-Today’s business manager Nick Slater. “Quality control has been of paramount importance in moving our produce offer forward. We have set up senior quality assurance management at our distribution depots, checking goods coming in every day, ensuring product specifications are met in full and that distribution out to stores maintains product integrity.”
Nisa-Today’s members have access to centrally produced planograms that they use as a basis for in-store displays. These plans range from small convenience stores up to the group’s larger members, which are competing on a similar scale with the major multiples.
And it seems that even in a recession, convenience is a winning formula even in a recession. According to Slater, the past year has seen a surge of new business from customers who have turned to convenience store shopping for the ability to meet their fresh produce requirements on a more frequent basis.
The organisation has got through the recession by offering consumers even better value. Many of its own-label products, such as Heritage, now encompass an ongoing multi-save offer, which has proved incredibly popular. “As consumers turn to local stores and shop more frequently, they are seeing what we can offer in terms of range, quality and price, and they are liking what they see,” continues Slater.
“Convenience shoppers today are looking for a good range of products that are fresh, competitively priced and fully available 24/7. Availability of the basic range, backed up with a good promotional programme, is what convenience consumers are looking for. They also expect to see a decent range of seasonal products to add variety throughout the year.”
Nisa-Today’s has always seen a demand for local or regional lines as part of the convenience offer, and has benefited from the source/eat local trend. “We have had a good relationship with numerous regional and local growers over the last few years and we view this as an important offer as part of our range extension to our membership,” says Slater.
So what does it mean to the company to win a Re:fresh Award? Since it won the QV Fresh Approach Convenience Retailer of the Year gong, the firm has gained some exposure in the trade press, as well as internally generated publicity. And there are plans to continue the fresh produce department’s success with more of the same attitude that has got it to this point. “As our produce business continues to grow, so we and our suppliers can reap the scales of economy achieved,” Slater tells FPJ. “The Re:fresh Award is an incredibly rewarding achievement for a team effort and all of whom have worked incredibly hard to achieve this. This is the first time ever that Nisa-Today’s has won an industry recognition award within the produce sector and we are very proud of it.
“It is always nice to have our views and strategy reinforced by outside organisations, especially those who are experts in that field, and to see our hard work bearing fruit at store level. Winning the award has sent an exciting and clear message throughout the membership and has served to highlight the innovation and changes not only to our members, but also to suppliers, in the way that Nisa-Today’s has approached the category over the past 12 months.”
Nisa-Today’s has grown at an incredible pace over the past year in the produce category since winning the Re:fresh Award. According to Slater, this is down wholly to the huge progress, category initiatives and continued commitment by the team in this important sector.
“As the business has grown, we are now in a position to start looking at direct importing. The award was only a bonus to the recognised efforts by the judging panel,” he says.
Slater believes that convenience stores will continue to grow as a sub-sector. “But it is vital that they give consumers a great fresh offering if they want to capitalise on that growth,” he adds.
WAREINGS OF TARLETON ATTRACTS ATTENTION
Preston-based retailer Wareings of Tarleton has also experienced the benefits brought by winning a Re:fresh Award and has seen media interest since receiving the QV Fresh Approach Independent Retailer of the Year accolade last year.
Wareings is a family business that has been growing a range of horticultural products for more than 100 years, and made a very successful transition to independent retailer with a stand at farmers’ markets in the north-west of England.
Owners Clive Wareing and his wife Debbie have run the business since 1996, at which time they were supplying the local wholesale market from 12.5 hectares of land. With the market seemingly in decline and larger, specialist growers taking much of the supermarket business, it was decided that the fledgling farmers’ markets would provide the greatest potential.
The company can now offer its customers more than 50 locally grown and often novel products each year, including purple carrots, purple Brussels sprouts, Romanesque and purple caulifowers, pak choi, cavalo nero, celeriac, pink fur apple potatoes, Swiss chard and fennel.
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