New Go Local store opens its doors in St Helens with successful entrepreneurs at the helm.
A St Helens convenience store has become part of the Go Local network. It has completed a refurbishment programme, and the store is set to prove a hit with customers and the local community.
Husband and wife team Bisi and Mayo Osundeko took over the store’s running in December last year. It got off to a flying start by wowing local customers with a new look coupled with a broad range of products from sandwiches, food to go and hot beverages to ice creams. The excellent core grocery offer includes chilled and frozen, plus an extensive beer, wines and spirits section.
While it is the couples’ first convenience store, they have considerable retail experience, having built up leading online babycare brand Joy and Joe Baby, named after their children. The award-winning brand is one of the leading baby wrap brands on Amazon.
The store, on Junction Lane in Sutton, was officially opened this week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony carried out by Mayor of St Helens, Cllr Sue Murphy. The premises, which had previously been a convenience store and post office for over 20 years, had fallen into disrepair and were in desperate need of refurbishment.
Working closely with Parfetts, Bisi and Mayo, undertook significant store improvements, including new chiller units and increased shelving space. The store has retained its Post Office, which is an integral part of the local community.
Bisi runs the 2,000 sq ft community store with husband Mayo and a team of eight staff, retained from the previous operation. Some team members have over 20 years of experience, having built up strong, lifelong relationships with long-standing customers.
Commenting on the new store, Bisi commented: “We’ve had a dream start with our new store. After spotting the opportunity over a year ago, it is finally a reality for us. We are serving the local community by giving them the convenience store that the area has been crying out for many years.
“Living locally, we are well aware of the needs of the local community here in Sutton and the crucial requirement for a Post Office counter service, which we have overhauled and relaunched to run seven days a week inside our store.
“Go Local offers our shoppers’ great values and lots of promotions. The store plays an important role in supporting local people in the surrounding community with their everyday shopping needs. Many of our regular customers are elderly and rely on the shop. They are over the moon with the new offering.”
Bisi and Mayo have big plans for the future but remain focused on the smooth running of the store, training up the staff and taking on board the needs and demands of their customers. Ultimately, Bisi and Mayo would like to open several stores in the region, including a Go Local Extra, but for now, their new store is their priority.
Added Bisi: “The entire Parfetts team have been very supportive, and getting hold of stock has not been an issue. The support is also first class with a team who are always on hand to help us operate more efficiently, such as helping with merchandising for the refurbished store when we officially relaunched. Parfetts store refurbishment team worked wonders in redesigning the store and were extremely quick in delivering an attractive, light and inviting store, which took everyone’s breath away when it was complete. It’s great to be able to rely on this level of professional support and guidance without any interference in the day to day running of the store or our own ideas for development.”
Parfetts is an employee-owned business, and its employees play a significant role in the company’s success and its retailers.
Guy Swindell, joint managing director at Parfetts, said: “We’ve been working closely with Bisi and Mayo to get the store ready and ensure it is well designed and fully stocked to meet the needs of her customers. As successful entrepreneurs with a proven track record in retail, the couple has embraced the opportunity with genuine enthusiasm. It is already translating into strong sales, and the availability of own brand Go Local produce on the shelf means customers are getting value and choice.”
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