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Looking to the future in Luton

Two years after opening his new purpose built Nisa Local in Luton, an experienced retailer has re-merchandised the entire store to better cater for his shoppers’ journey.

Barry Patel, who owns two Nisa stores on either side of the Marsh Farm estate in Luton, was keen to make the most of the 2,000 Co-op own label products available to him after a very positive reaction to them from customers at both shops.    

After analysing data on every product in the store, some lines were removed, and others introduced, and many were moved round creating a better look and feel to the store which Barry now believes is easier for his shoppers to navigate.    

He said: “We went through every category with the merchandisers and de-listed products that were not selling well and put the new range in.

“Simply by moving products around the store we have seen sales uplifts in certain categories and my customers can find things much easier now.”

Barry said he spent time studying other stores to look for new ideas and ensure his store was up to standard.

“As a retailer you’re in a box and sometimes you need to get out and look elsewhere to see new ideas and find ways to increase sales and profit margins. I don’t want to become stagnant.”

As part of the re-lay Barry also worked with Nisa’s Format and Development team to give the store a face lift and made some subtle changes to the store.

A new promotional section near the counter comprising three bays has been created and eye-catching graphics used to draw attention to the deals and drive sales of products on offer.

New red brick effect vinyl has been erected around the instore butchery, making it stand out to customers and the chest freezers have been wrapped in a dark vinyl, smartening them up and creating a more premium look and feel to the frozen section.

Barry said: “The new promotional section works really well. It is something of a feature in the store now and as soon as we moved the products, they started to sell much better. It’s had a really good impact on sales.”