Hot food sales are heating up at a Nisa Local store in Dunstable, Bedfordshire after a re-fit, which saw tired fixtures and fittings replaced and a change to the layout.
The overhaul at the 2,500 sq ft shop involved moving the food-to-go offering from the rear of the store to the front, and replacing the waist-height coffee machine and hot food counter with larger, upright equipment.
The effort is paying dividends with hot food sales increasing by 45% in the first week after completion, with a whopping 400 sausage rolls selling, and overall sales up more than 5% year-on-year.
The re-fit was carried out in two stages beginning initially with the installation of new chillers in October. Once he realised how smart they looked and the positive effect they were having on sales, Ian Bacon, trading manager for Lenus Trading, which runs three Nisa stores in the Dunstable area, said the entire store needed the same attention.
Bacon said, “When we had installed the chillers and the new food to go offer, we realised how good it looked and decided we needed to do the rest of the store. It was looking quite tired and outdated and we wanted to freshen it up.
“I saw Nisa’s latest Store of the Future Evolution format at Stoneleigh in April and was really impressed by the new look and design. It’s a real step change and a move away from the old format and a great colour scheme.”
The second half was largely made up re-decorating; removing pelmets, boxing in piping, installing new lighting and giving the entire store a thorough, deep clean.
Bacon added, 'Customers are really impressed and many even think we have extended because it looks bigger, but it was just a case of moving things round and brightening it up.”
Head of key accounts at Nisa, Victoria Lockie, said, “Through taking a number of simple, yet effective steps, the store has been given a lift that makes it look modern and fit for the future and sales are up. It was a great team effort and early results are very positive.'