Future-proofing Filco Supermarkets

An independent retailing business in South Wales has effected a series of changes to its operations to make them fit for the future and ready to embrace the new ways of shopping post Covid crisis.

Matthew Hunt, director of Filco Supermarkets and a Nisa partner for more than 40 years, said he has made a raft of alterations to his operating model to ensure he and his team can continue to respond to the changing demands of shoppers.

A key element within the changes is an impressive delivery service which this week saw the 20,000^th home delivery made.

The concept was initially explored before the pandemic hit but it exploded with the arrival of Covid with more than 100 orders being placed prior to 10am every day in the early stages of the outbreak.

“We started testing home deliveries in Autumn 2019 and working with Snappy Shopper; we saw it as a great opportunity. We had two stores trading on the app when Covid hit but we were swamped and the way it works as an instant service requiring immediate attention, meant we had to make changes to our processes to enable us to continue successfully,” Hunt said.

Now operating in seven out of the nine Filco stores, there are dedicated pickers and drivers at the larger stores ensuring the service can be delivered and this week marked 20,000 deliveries since Covid struck.

A fleet of delivery cars have been purchased negating the need to employ staff with their own vehicles and ensuring there is always the means to deliver goods.

Both existing Filco customers as well as new ones are now regular users of the service with older and vulnerable people ordering full grocery shops and average basket spend now reaching about £35 whilst deliveries have reached around 80 every day.

“Our whole focus now is on improving what we do for our shoppers and we will continue to make changes to adapt to what our customers want and expect,” Hunt said.