business Passionate about your

4 October — 17 October 2019

HONOURABLE FRIENDSHIPS Why Gareth Wynne and other retailers are seeing the benefits of meeting their MPs

STORE DEVELOPMENT AWARDS PRODUCTS IN DEPTH More reasons Be a part of the Netflix and to visit Hunt’s biggest thing chill, and Spar in Leyland in the industry snacks as well Food to go and an in-store The Convenience Awards How the Big Night In butchery add kerb appeal is a brand new event, and keeps getting bigger to the revamped store we are looking for winners and bigger for retailers products in depth in-store services

Offering a strong range of services not only drives footfall, but can actually impact on how customers view your store’s role in the community So much more than just a store

MATT CHITTOCK All of these help to establish the convenience store as a must-have hen was the last fixture in the local community. time you popped Establishing an impressive and into your local practical community-focused offer bank? If the cur- doesn’t have to be ultra-compli- W rent drive online cated. It can be as simple as pro- continues, chances are that it might viding customers with a safe space have transformed into a coffee to get cash on the premises, rather shop, nail salon or Wetherspoon’s than out on the street. According by the time you get there. to ACS figures, 46% of convenience According to research from stores have a free-to-use ATM. And Which?, 3,000 bank branches have it works for retailers like Jai Singh closed since 2015 – a rate of about from MJ’s Go Local in Sheffield. 60 a week. This is terrible news for “Our older customers especially customers who prefer bricks and appreciate the fact that our ATM is mortar to mobile apps. Yet, as bank inside,” Jai says. “They know we’ve counters vanish, staff at c-stores are got CCTV and that they can come in increasingly stepping in to take up and get their cash safely.” the slack. Best of all, Jai maintains that hav- “More stores are offering ser- ing an ATM generates about £2,000 vices because of changes in the a week in additional sales, while retail environment,” explains Chris helping support other local busi- Noice, head of communications nesses. “We’re the only place in our and research at the Association of parade where people can get cash, Convenience Stores (ACS). so customers are quite grateful for “I always use the example of it,” he says. bank branches closing. That means “There’s a hairdressers and an people are driven elsewhere to get Indian takeaway and they don’t cash or pay bills. And today c-stores take card payments so that means NATIONAL LOTTERY have the flexibility to offer those people come to us to get their services. money. And while they’re here they Now you can head to the hub “It’s an opportunity to make might get a sandwich to have while stores more of a destination. It’s they’re getting their hair done, or a Retailers’ feedback has not just about incremental sales. It drink to have with their food.” prompted Camelot to can change how the store is viewed. That all sounds great in principle shake up its support. We’ve a lot of research that shows but, as most retailers will agree, Lottery retailers can now services have a positive impact on offering services isn’t often plain access POS, National people’s lives in the local area.” sailing. For example, Jai’s custom- Lottery news and training So what do customers really ers always valued the fact that the guides via the firm's want from local stores beyond milk, ATM was free. But when his sup- retailer hub, www. bread and everyday essentials? ACS plier, DC Payments, was taken tnlretailerhub.co.uk. stats show that the most valuable over he received a letter saying that The hub also enables services c-stores offer are cash they’d now be charging customers retailers to set up a machine, post office and click and to use it. multi-store tool, which collect. Some 64% of c-stores offer “Some 85% of our customers enables them to centralise ATMs, while 21% have a post office, think that we get the charge, and all their accounts under and 26% offer click and collect (ACS they weren’t happy,” he says. “In one log-in. Local Shop Report 2019). fact, we got some abuse from angry

48 | Convenience Store | 4 October 2019 www.conveniencestore.co.uk products in depth in-store services

INNOVATION Services fit for a digital age

Mobile tech has transformed feedback that PayPoint One the sheer scope of services freed 50% of staff time to focus now available in c-stores. And on other tasks as well as PayPoint can claim to be first in boosting margin by 20%. quite a few of these emerging However, many retailers say categories. that such sophistication “We were the first to bring bill doesn’t help unless the payments and parcel services customer support is there to into local shops,” says PayPoint address any issues. marketing director Steve “Providing seamless O’Neill. “And with PayPoint customer service for our One, we are the first to bring a retailers has always been a key cloud-enabled, tablet-based till focus for us,” says O’ Neill. system into local convenience “In the past year, we have stores with no upfront costs.” improved our phone system, PayPoint One is the brand’s bolstered first contact latest epos and retail services resolution for retailer queries, solution, supporting retailers and made the process of by allowing them to make repaying claims faster. To help informed decisions about their retailers use PayPoint One to its stores using real-time data on fullest potential, we have also stock, margins and sales. enhanced our phone-based O’Neill points to one store’s training.”

customers at the counter, thinking Richard Inglis, who has several anyway. “I think there’s room for we were being greedy.” Co-op stores in Southampton, says services in the c-store market- Jai was left feeling resentful that sometimes the answer can be place,” he says, “but it needs to about the way the changes were surprising. be less about relying on someone communicated so he stuck the “We used to have PayPoint,” he behind the till and taking up their letter he received to the ATM and says. “It used to be fairly simple, time. We’re speaking to Payzone at explained that customers could get but as time has gone on it turned the moment about services. We’d free cash through cash-back at the into a much more complicated sys- like to use them, but it’s got to inte- counter. tem. The risks associated with it grate into our self-service system to “Basically, we just weren’t pro- were quite high, since it was staff work for us. moting it to customers,” he says. at the counter who had to input all “We’d also like to get into Amazon It took a visit from the rep, and the numbers. There wasn’t a whole collection, but it’s a bit ‘spin-the- an amended contract, to make it lot of support. There used to be bottle’ with them at the moment. free again. queues whenever something went Amazon seems to pull contracts “Retailers need to be very care- wrong. We just realised that it was every 12-18 months or so, so you ful about services,” cautions Noice. taking up staff time and creating never know quite who you’re going “It’s not one size fits all. There’s problems.” to get.” often investment in terms of time So he ran the figures and decided He believes that part of the and money. It’s about asking: is the that offering the service wasn’t underlying trend driving the evolu- service really needed in the local worth the headache. Plus, he tion of services is the move towards community?” believes that services are evolving a cashless society. Today 88%

www.conveniencestore.co.uk 4 October 2019 | Convenience Store | 49 products in depth in-store services

of stores offer contactless pay- SERVICES AVAILABLE IN C-STORES ment (ACS). And in more metropoli- tan stores it’s getting far rarer for people to pay with cash. “That’s just the way things are going,” Richard says. “Any service based around cash or cash pay- ments is going to change. We have £ £ £ ££ ATMs, one outside a busy station, £ but they’re not really delivering for £ £ £ £ us. One thing that happens is that they can attract beggars who sit near them. That’s not great for the image of the store overall.” 83% 75% 46% 27% 21% While online delivery pick-up offer lottery offer bill have a free-to- are parcel have a post points nod to the future, it’s impor- payment use ATM collection office service tant to remember the more tradi- services points tional services that customers still rely on. Source: Association of Convenience Stores Local Shop Report 2019 “If you look back at the old days of newsagents, services such as bill payment have always been part maximising profit in other areas as moaning (which he certainly of it,” says Raaj Chandarana from of the store.” isn’t). He says that sometimes the Tara’s Londis in High Wycombe. He adds that having Lotto is onus is on retailers to make ser- “People just like the option of pay- essential. That’s not surprising vices work. Yet he adds that sup- ing their bills at the local shop.” since 83% of stores feature it as a pliers need to make sure that, in Raaj runs a whole suite of ser- core part of their offer (ACS). the rush for customers, they’re no vices at his store, including post “It’s part of the British way of life,” longer treating retailers as the least office, Lotto, ATM, bill payments he says, “and if it’s part of everyday important part of the chain. and parcel collection. If pushed, life in this country then we want “I think that the balance is shift- he says that bill payment and the to be part of that. Although some- ing,” he says.“Before, retailers were post office are “unfortunately” the times it means that to make it work basically having to work for almost most popular. “I say unfortunately well you have to upsell, and maybe nothing. But it’s a collaboration and because commission no longer mention your deals at the counter, we need to be rewarded fairly. covers people’s wages,” he points to get a profit.” Basically, if you reward us properly out. “On the other hand, local peo- As a hard-working retailer with a then we’ll be happy to promote ple appreciate the service so it’s positive approach to life, Raaj cer- your service. That’s the way it’s got about getting the mix right and tainly doesn’t want to come across to work.”

WASH THIS SPACE: MONEY SPINNERS TO CONSIDER

Photo-me is giving they have been to take a passport incarnations. retailers the installed, which photo (or even a Andrews says that opportunity to clean includes Morrisons place to make digital the machines are up by providing and Co-op stores. selfies permanent). now able to tailor outdoor It adds that This means offering messages direct to launderettes with 60-80% of Photo- a Photo-Me booth c-store consumers. self-access washing Me’s customers tend in-store can help you “With all of our machines. to visit the on-site develop a keen equipment we're The Revolution store while they services offer. able to tailor the Compact (bottom wait. “It increases “Whether it be our marketing right) and Compact S footfall and revenue photo booths for messages/video (top) are capable of for the store, which general ID/passport display screens to handling large or means that even if or our Speedlab that of the stores heavy loads such as they are renting the printing kiosks, themselves. duvets, blankets and machine revenue is we’re sure to have a “This ensures the pillows, and a cycle still growing thanks solution that can be retailers are takes as little as 30 to the dwell time,” both adapted and messaging their minutes. says Photo-Me tailored to meet the direct customers The firm claims managing director retailer’s needs,” in-store using the that the machines Elliot Andrews. says Andrews. Photo Booths, Selfie are contributing to Meanwhile, as Today’s photo Booths or Print “a huge increase in post offices close booths are a lot Kiosks as additional footfall/revenue” for more consumers are smarter than their direct messaging retail sites where seeking somewhere previous tools.”

50 | Convenience Store | 4 October 2019 www.conveniencestore.co.uk