A new Garston convenience store that was formerly a church has become one of the largest Go Local Extra stores across the network of national Go Local stores after completing a transformation that has proved a hit with customers.
Experienced retailer Matt Mahalingam, who operates five other Go Local stores in Liverpool, has extended his relationship with Parfetts Go Local Extra with the opening of his new 3,000 sq ft store.
Matt oversees the store at 52 Banks Road, Garston which employs a team of seven people. An independent retailer since 2010 when Matt opened his first Go Local store in Litherland, he followed this with a further four stores across Merseyside. The newest store is Matt’s sixth and most ambitious, largest store to date and one of the biggest in the entire Parfetts Go Local Extra group. Matt previously worked in food retail with Marks & Spencer and has over two decades of retail expertise.
Matt has undertaken significant renovations since acquiring the property from the Church of England earlier this year, including Go Local Extra branding, extensive new chiller units, a customer-friendly store layout and spacious checkouts.
New range additions to the store are designed to generate greater footfall including a food-to-go offering which also offers Costa Coffee, f’real shakes and smoothies and Tango Ice Blast slushes.
The spacious store also houses an impressive beer, wines and spirits section offering choice wines from independent suppliers and an extensive range of premium beers and spirits.
Commenting on the new store opening, Matt said: “We’ve acquired a huge space so really wanted to make the most of it, providing a space where customers can take their time and browse the extensive range of products on offer. I’m really delighted with the look and feel of the store and customers seem to really like it too.
“Parfetts represents great choice and value for money and understands the issues and challenges faced by retailers. Combining this with great promotions and strong, professional team support, are the main reasons I continue to partner with Parfetts and Go Local Extra. I also like to run my own promotions in-store which Parfetts are fully supportive of which really helps me to boost my weekly takings. Being able to combine my own ideas with tried and trusted promotions is a big plus for me.
“Teaming up with Parfetts and Go Local Extra for this store has been a great partnership. Parfetts have been proactive with stock availability, and delivery and the online ordering system makes things much easier, especially with six stores to run! The support team is always on hand to help us operate efficiently at all times. For our new store, we were fully stocked and ready to go for launch which was great for customers to see, especially considering the size of the store.”
Parfetts is an employee-owned business, and its employees play a significant role in the company’s success and its retailers. Focusing on providing great value and service has led to record growth as more independent retailers choose Parfetts. In addition, the expansion of the wholesale network and investment in delivery services has attracted more retailers to the Go Local fascia, which has seen store numbers grow to over 1000 stores nationwide.
Steve Moore, head of retail at Parfetts, said: “Matt has lots of experience as a retailer and really knows what he is doing with his stores. We enjoy working closely with him and his employees to ensure all the stores are well equipped to meet the needs of all customers. The new store is really high impact, and Matt has embraced the promotions we offer with real energy and enthusiasm, which is of great benefit to his customers. He’s already off to a strong start with solid sales, and the availability of own-brand produce on the shelf means customers are getting value and great choice on branded and own-branded goods. As we head towards the busy festive season, we expect the store to do especially well as it caters for the surrounding local community, passing trade and a couple of nearby schools.
“Parfetts can reinvest back into the business and support customers because it’s an employee-owned business. Additionally, at a time when costs are rising across our industry, we are committed to continuing offering free deliveries, free store development support, free POS packs and marketing support, free consumer leaflets, no joining fee and a 2% rebate when you run our promotion.”
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