Tates Ltd has won the Foods from Spain sponsored Re:fresh Convenience Retailer of the Year award for the second consecutive year, reporting another solid year of progress in its development of a market leading fresh produce offer.
In a year that presented challenges to the industry, during which many convenience chains struggled to show any significant growth, progress at Tates can perhaps be defined best by an eight per cent year-on-year uplift in fruit and vegetable sales.
After winning the award in 2007, Tates began to look at the challenges facing it in the next three years. It commissioned consumer research, to find out where customers wanted to see the business heading, the positive results of which have been used to formulate a plan for the retailer and its customers to take the fresh produce category onto a new level.
A “culture of excellence” throughout the business and a deep-rooted commitment to building relationships with category suppliers are key elements of the Spar-owned chain’s success. By closely aligning itself with a select band of suppliers, the company feels it will not only provide itself with a sustainable business platform, but also allow its suppliers an opportunity to do the same for themselves.
Always keen to encourage higher fresh produce consumption, Tates employs a diverse promotional strategy, which in the last 12 months was up-weighted to include the ‘Fresh for Less’ moniker, as well as consumer-facing activity on fruit such as the Pink Lady apple.
Tates overcame competition from convenience chain Costcutter in this category.
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