David Wyatt explains how a major refit, great staff and a store-within-a-store spells success
David Wyatt, the recipient of the Symbol Retailer of the Year award at the 34th Asian Trader Awards, is a seasoned retailer who began his journey in retail at the tender age of 16 as a cashier, quickly progressing to management roles in his late teens and early twenties.
By 18, he was managing a petrol station at Fulham Palace Road in Hammersmith, London, and soon moved up to oversee multiple sites. His career took a pivotal turn 28 years ago when he joined Crawley Down Group, a family-run business where he has remained ever since, managing the Costcutter-Bargain Booze forecourt store in Crawley.
“The site wasn't built at that time, so I came down here beforehand, and here I've been ever since,” he says.
He has been associated with the Costcutter symbol group for over two decades, witnessing both the highs and lows of the brand.
“I remember being signed up by Jamie Davidson (now Retail Director at Bestway Wholesale) 20-21 years ago. So, we've been down the road with Costcutter for quite a while, during their ups and downs,” Wyatt reminisces.
Best of both worlds
In 2023, he oversaw a significant refit of his store, which included the introduction of the Bargain Booze concept alongside the Costcutter fascia. The dual-branded store has proven to be highly successful, particularly in expanding and improving the store's alcohol offering.
“We had a 24-hour off license, anyhow. So, when we had the opportunity to put a Bargain Booze in, with their range, knowledge and pricing, it seemed a no-brainer, and it really was the right decision,” he explains.
“Because it's clear that Bargain Booze had a wealth of experience on wines, on RTDs, ciders, and their promotions – it's a little bit different. They have a taste in the wines and everything, which is a bit more sort of you see in Marks and Spencer and Waitrose. It was a different proposition, and I must admit, it's been an amazing success in the last year.”
In addition, he has been able to increase his spirits range by 400 per cent, while stocking products in smaller quantities.
“I don't have to buy everything by the case. So being able to have a bigger range and only purchasing one or two bottles, again, from a cost perspective, I'm not sitting on so much stock. So that worked very well,” he says.
Wyatt values the support from Bestway Wholesale, the owner of Costcutter and Bargain Booze brands, and the strong relationships he has built with the group.
“I'm quite a loyal person. I've been loyal to Costcutter, Shell, and I think that's reciprocated when I have problems. And that's relationship, isn't it,” he says. “The people that I've come in contact within Costcutter, whether that's Jamie Davidson or Adrian O'Brien [Head of Symbol – Bestway Retail], they're all very knowledgeable people, so I lean on their shoulders when required.”
He considers the store-in-store concept being promoted by Bestway Retail as a step in the “right direction.”
“They're driving forward within the symbol groups, and putting brands together makes the proposition for the customer stronger,” he adds.
A significant aspect of Wyatt's retail strategy involves leveraging the Co-op on brand range, which he finds particularly crucial in the current economic climate.
“Co-op is a strong own brand, and within each category, we have a quite a strong representation of Co-op own brand,” he says.
“It's important that the customers, who are more price conscious, need to have the option on the shelf alongside the normal brand that may be more expensive. Co-op is well known, trusted, and especially within the chilled, Co-op own brand is very important to us.”
Expanding innovation
Wyatt's innovative approach to retail is evident in the cutting-edge features and carefully-curated product categories of his store.
One of Wyatt’s key innovations is the introduction of electronic labeling. He views this as more than just a cost-saving measure, emphasising the precision and professionalism it brings.
“There is a cost to staff putting out labels, and then there's a cost of having electronic labels. But then I think that's only part of the story,” he explains.
“One of the things that I found, especially in bigger stores, is that if you're relying on staff to put out X amount of labels, at any given time, you can't be sure that all your prices are correct, whereas with electronic labels you know the price is always correct.”
The labels not only display the price but also provide comparisons with competitors such as Tesco Express, giving customers confidence that they are getting a good deal.
“So, yes, there's a cost saving, and there's a cost to have them. But to my mind, you know that you have peace of mind of every single price in the shop is correct. And to me, it's a no brainer. You just have that confidence. You don't have people coming to the till saying the label says, ‘it’s this price and it's the wrong price’,” he says.
The labels also streamline promotions, allowing customised spotlight displays for seasonal campaigns, which improve the overall store presentation and customer engagement.
“With this, say, with Halloween coming, I can create a Halloween spotlight. Add in the products, and all those labels will have, like a little skull or pumpkin or whatever I decide on those products. It's all done electronically. Otherwise, you'd have to go out on some of these things. Costcutter kind of sends out the things they deem relevant to Halloween, but you could put anything on there. So again, it gives you flexibility,” he adds.
Top sellers
Wyatt's food-to-go offering also sets his store apart from competitors, positioning it as a convenient and competitive option in the local market that has the presence of chains like Subway, Greggs and Costa Coffee.
“Within the food to go, I wanted to create something a little bit more bespoke. So, I work with Stone Willys Kitchen, they do wraps and pizzas and things like that. I bought a milkshake machine, so we create our own milkshakes, barista coffee machine, so we can do coffees. We're just starting on smoothies as well. And I am doing a lot of work at the moment with Delice. We swap out a lot of our breads and cakes and croissants and the like,” he explains.
The store offers an impressive array of meal deals, catering for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
“As opposed to just having a sandwich meal deal, we’ve got wrap meal deals, burger meal deals, breakfast meal deals, helping people to save money by widening what is normally known as a like just a standard meal deal,” he adds.
Though an initial attempt at click-and-collect didn’t take off, partly due to the due to the efficiency of their grab-and-go system. “We found that people would just come in, because they could just grab and go whatever they wanted,” he says – Wyatt is now preparing to expand his food to go offerings via Just Eat, aiming to meet off-site demand while extending service hours.
“Delivering off site is our next sort of target, because we've held off of that for the last year just to get the offering right on site,” he says, adding: “Part of the problem is purely finding staff and having the right person here at that time of the day to grow it. We used to close (food to go) at two, now we've gone to seven, but we have a licence to go to 11. I think Just Eat and, especially the pizzas etc. will help support expanding the hours.”
His next big ambition is to capitalise on the growing demand for protein products. “We're looking within our food to go, touching on protein shakes, protein meals, protein on-the-go, snacking. I think that's probably the next growth area,” he predicts.
Wyatt's store has a thriving vape section, which generated over £120,000 in sales between May and September alone. His foresight in building dedicated vape display units, along with his collaboration with major brands like Titan, Elfbar, and Liberty Flights, positions his store as a leader in the evolving vape market.
With an eye on the impending disposable vape ban, Wyatt is now actively guiding customers towards more sustainable and cost-effective pod and liquid-based systems.
“Over the last two years, we have navigated all the ranges, as soon as it is out, we've done it. Now, over the last six months, obviously, it's been a shift to the pods, and we've managed that,” he says.
“We're managing with explaining the benefits of the cost savings for customers, because ultimately, they need to come up with disposable and they need to go on to a rechargeable product. And with that in mind, I've worked with Liberty Flights, so that we have a strong liquid base product as well as this.”
Wyatt is confident that vaping will remain a key category in his store’s future success.
“People still want the disposables, they like the flexibility. But we're noticing the transition over to IVG and these types of products. Also, you're seeing a lot of maneuvering by whether it's Elfbar, Crystal, Gold bar, they've got the four-in-one, the six-in-one, the 10,000-puff pods. If you are loyal to a brand, they're putting out the large product now. So, by the time the ban comes in, I think most people will have converted to a larger product anyhow,” he notes.
“So, we are there to support, guide, help. It's been a big category, but I think it can remain a big category. And it has been a massive area for us.”
Key to success
Wyatt is quick to acknowledge that the backbone of his success is his staff.
“Ultimately, everything comes down to my staff,” he emphasises. “We got a lot of staff that have been here a long time. They're loyal. They offer good customer service. We've created a good shopping environment, but keeping my staff is the most crucial thing.”
Whether it's ensuring they feel supported in the face of challenges like theft or paying above minimum wage to retain talent, Wyatt believes that looking after his team is paramount.
“That's the key thing. It may not be flashy or anything, but I think you’ve got to put an arm around them. Look after them, because without them, the job is very difficult, isn't it?”
Wyatt also offers a valuable piece of advice: embrace change.
“Times change. Change is coming all the time and to be ahead of it and to work with it is probably the key thing that I need to do, and that would be my tip to anyone else,” he reflects.
A Rossendale shop has had a licence bid rejected after repeatedly selling vapes to children and having illegal products on its premises.
Management at the Ibra Superstore at 34 Burnley Road, Bacup, have shown ‘no regard’ for children’s protection and safety, and have insufficient controls for licensing, Rossendale councillors have ruled.
Ibrahim Mohammad, director of the Ibra Superstore, had recently applied to Rossendale Council for a new premises licence. But the borough’s licensing sub-committee rejected his bid after a meeting which heard allegations from the police and trading standards officers.
The Burnley Road shop has been subject to various licensing changes and concerns in recent years. In the past, it was called Bacup Wines.
Ibrahim Mohammad, the applicant, attended the Rossendale licensing sub-committe meeting with his father,Amin Mohammad. Also there was PC Mick Jones, of Lancashire Constabulary, and Jason Middleton of Lancashire Trading Standards. Councillor Bob Bauld attended as an observer.
Mr Mohammad wanted a premises license for alcohol sales and opening hours from 8am to 11pm, seven days a week. He already had a personal licence. He said the Bacup shop would install a CCTV system, keep an incident log and a refusals record, check customers’ ages, display information about staff and give them regular training.
Trading standards officer Jason Middleton said Ibra Superstore Ltd was incorporated as a company in April 2023. Since then, trading standards had received 11 complaints about under-age sales and carried out visits.
Breaches included non-compliant vapes being found which broke a 2ml limit on the quantity of nicotine-containing liquid, no age checks and no information on display.
During one visit, Amin Mohammad tried to leave with a bag containing 10 illegal vapes. In test purchases by trading standards, an ‘Elf Bar’ vape was sold to a 14-year-old by Amin Mohammad and an illegal Hayati Pro Max vape to a 13-year-old by Ibrahim Mohammad. The shop claimed a phone call distracted staff during the 13-year-old’s purchase and illegal vapes came from ‘a man in car’.
Councillors heard different speakers, looked at written reports and also some video footage from the applicant. But they rejected the premises licence bid.
Giving their reasons, they stated: “There was a repeated history and pattern of behaviour regarding under-age sales of age-restricted items, such as tobacco products and vapes to children. You must not sell vapes to anyone under the age of 18. This is a criminal offence which the council takes very seriously.
“It is clear you breached the law by failing a test purchase operation in which you sold an illegal vape to an under-age child. The sub-committee feels that you have no regard to the protection and safety of children.
“The sub-committee feels that there is insufficient management control at the premises. There is no credible system to prevent under-age sales of age-restricted products and no measures in place to avoid harm to children and to prevent crime and disorder
“Therefore, given the number of incidents, the circumstances surrounding the incidents and the fact that the matter involves safeguarding issues relating to young, vulnerable minors, we consider that the seriousness of the incidents and the crimes committed against young children undermines the licensing objectives to prevent crime and disorder, and protect children from harm.”
The shop has the right of appeal to a magistrates court within 21 days of the date of the notice.
SPAR North of England retailer Dara Singh Randhawa’s family store has been awarded £100,000 of free stock after hitting all his targets since moving to the symbol.
Dara and his family, who have their SPAR store in Patrington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, joined SPAR through its association with James Hall & Co. Ltd in August 2023 having taken the decision to maximise the store’s potential.
It is a decision they have not looked back on, with sales increasing by up to 25% and margins also showing significant uplift in the last 12 months.
Key to the store’s improved performance is the complete overhaul of products available in-store, particularly the fresh food range, to better support people who live in Patrington and the surrounding area.
A new store layout and refrigeration, better Food To Go and meal deal options, a coffee machine, and a Calippo slush machine were also installed during a major refurbishment prior to launch.
Dara said: “Our move to SPAR has been excellent. We have seen fantastic sales uplift and the support from the team at James Hall & Co. Ltd has been brilliant. The £100,000 of free stock is the cherry on the cake.
“We have been very impressed with the Price Locked promotions, in particular. These give customers confidence to do bigger shops with us as they see value on our shelves and the products at the same prices for longer.
“At times over the summer when tourists and visitors to the area add trade, we have seen sales £6,000 a week higher than our average. This is against a backdrop of the popular caravan park in the village being closed almost all year.
“We are really pleased with the position we are in, and we will be looking to achieve more in 2025.”
Peter Dodding, Sales Director at James Hall & Co. Ltd and Chairman of the SPAR Northern Guild, said: “Congratulations to Dara and the Randhawa family on hitting their targets and earning £100,000 of free stock.
“We recognise switching brand is a big decision for a retailer which is why this isn’t a gimmick, and we offer this to all retailers who join the SPAR family with James Hall & Co. Ltd.
“As well as our £100,000 incentive, we also offer retailers the chance to achieve up to an additional £5,000 of free stock if they successfully refer a friend.
“These opportunities provide additional motivation to retailers alongside the comprehensive benefits that joining the SPAR brand brings with it.”
James Hall & Co. Ltd is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.
The government has on Wednesday announced its acceptance of the Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) recommendations on the rates of the National Minimum Wage (NMW), including the National Living Wage (NLW).
The rates which will apply from 1 April 2025 are as follows:
NMW Rate
Increase (£)
Percentage increase
National Living Wage (21 and over)
£12.21
£0.77
6.7
18-20 Year Old Rate
£10.00
£1.40
16.3
16-17 Year Old Rate
£7.55
£1.15
18.0
Apprentice Rate
£7.55
£1.15
18.0
Accommodation Offset
£10.66
£0.67
6.7
The recommended NLW rate is expected to equal two-thirds of median earnings and to have the highest real value in the history of the UK’s minimum wage. The increase in the 18-20 Year Old Rate narrows the gap between that and the NLW, in anticipation of the adult rate being extended to 18 year olds in future years.
“The government have been clear about their ambitions for the National Minimum Wage and its importance in supporting workers’ living standards. At the same time, employers have had to deal with the adult rate rising over 20 per cent in two years, and the challenges that has created alongside other pressures to their cost base,” Baroness Philippa Stroud, chair of the LPC, said.
“It is our job to balance these considerations, ensuring the NLW provides a fair wage for the lowest-paid workers while taking account of economic factors. These rates secure a real-terms pay increase for the lowest-paid workers. Young workers will see substantial increases in their pay floor, making up some of the ground lost against the adult rate over time.”
Stroud admitted that the data show some signs of employers finding it harder to adapt to minimum wage increases.
“The tightening of the labour market since the pandemic has unwound, but the overall picture is similar to 2019. The economy is expected to grow over the next year, although productivity growth remains subdued,” she noted.
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said:
Good work and fair wages are in the interest of British business as much as British workers. This government is changing people’s lives for the better because we know that investing in the workforce leads to better productivity, better resilience and ultimately a stronger economy primed for growth.
The recommended increase in the 16-17 Year Old Rate restores that rate to its original value relative to the adult minimum wage. In line with previous recommendations, the Apprentice Rate will remain equal to the 16-17 Year Old Rate.
SPAR UK has announced the appointment of Michael Fletcher as its new managing director.
Fletcher spent 22 years at Tesco plc, where he held numerous senior commercial roles in the UK, Ireland and Asia. He joined Co-op Retail in 2013 where he held the position of chief commercial officer before moving on to become CEO of Nisa Wholesale, a role he held until 2022.
Since leaving Nisa, Fletcher has taken on several non-executive director and board advisory roles. He is also the founder and chief executive of Sleet Brush Limited, where he focuses on designing and implementing innovative solutions to complex retail and wholesale challenges.
“Michael has outstanding credentials in commercial, retail and FMCG sectors, with experience across various trading environments,” Nick Bunker, non-executive chair, SPAR Food Distributors Ltd, said.
“His professional capabilities and high standards consistently drive excellent business performance and operational resilience. We are delighted with his appointment and look forward his lasting and positive contribution to the SPAR business.”
Fletcher added: “SPAR is a globally recognised and respected brand, and I am thrilled to join the team. I look forward to supporting the ongoing strengthening and development of the SPAR proposition in the UK.”
October saw shop prices fall marginally further into deflation for the third consecutive month with food inflation eased, particularly for meat, fish and tea along with chocolate and sweets as retailers treated customers to spooky season deals, shows industry data released today (29).
According to British Retail Consortium (BRC), shop price deflation was at 0.8 per cent in October, down from deflation of 0.6 per cent in the previous month. This is below the 3-month average rate of -0.6 per cent. Shop price annual growth was at its lowest rate since August 2021.
Food inflation slowed to 1.9 per cent in October, down from 2.3% in September. This is above the 3-month average rate of 2.1 per cent . The annual rate continues to ease in this category and inflation remained at its lowest rate since November 2021.
Fresh Food inflation decelerated in October, to 1.0 per cent , down from 1.5 per cent in September. This is below the 3-month average rate of 1.2 per cent . Inflation was its lowest since October 2021.
Ambient Food inflation decelerated to 3.1 per cent in October, down from 3.3 per cent in September. This is below the 3-month average rate of 3.3 per cent and remained at its lowest since March 2022.
Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of the BRC, said, “October saw shop prices fall marginally further into deflation for the third consecutive month. Food inflation eased, particularly for meat, fish and tea as well as chocolate and sweets as retailers treated customers to spooky season deals. In non-food, discounting meant prices fell for electricals such as mobile phones, and DIY as retailers capitalised on the recent pick-up in the housing market.
“With fashion sales finally turning a corner this Autumn, prices edged up slightly for the first time since January as retailers started to unwind the heavy discounting seen over the past year.”
“Households will welcome the continued easing of price inflation, but this downward trajectory is vulnerable to ongoing geopolitical tensions, the impact of climate change on food supplies, and costs from planned and trailed Government regulation. Retail is already paying more than its fair share of taxes compared to other industries.
“The Chancellor using tomorrow’s Budget to introduce a Retail Rates Corrector, a 20 per cent downwards adjustment, to the business rates bills of all retail properties will allow retailers to continue to offer the best possible prices to customers while also opening shops, protecting jobs and unlocking investment.”
Mike Watkins, Head of Retailer and Business Insight, NielsenIQ, said, “Inflation in the food supply chain continues to ease and this helped slow the upward pressure of shop price inflation in October, however other cost pressures remain.
“Consumers remain uncertain about when and where to spend and with Christmas promotions now kicking in, competition for discretionary spend will intensify in both food and non-food retailing.”