Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Veteran retailers reap rewards at Rothley following refit

Veteran retailers reap rewards at Rothley following refit
Bradley’s Nisa Local Store in Rothley, Leicestershire

Retailers Paul and Jack Matthews recently launched their refurbished second site in Rothley, 18 months after unveiling their new look store a few miles away in Quorn.

The Nisa retailers said they are seeing exciting early signs of growth with potential for much more to come following the overhaul of the busy village store.


The store, which has been operating for some 40 years, was lagging behind the family’s flagship shop and the highly successful refit at Quorn was one reason for following suit with the second site.

One month after launching, sales are up by more than 20 per cent and basket spend has seen strong growth with a current average spend of nearly £11.

Jack said: “We spent a long time planning the refurb at Quorn and were absolutely delighted with the result and so were our customers. We saw so much success from the changes and realised we needed to put the same energy into the Rothley shop and copy it across and that’s what we have tried to do.”

Bradleys veg Bradley’s Nisa Local Store in Rothley, Leicestershire

The refit involved a full closure of the store for two weeks in which all existing fittings and fixtures were ripped out and the entire store was re-laid, windows were opened up, the counter relocated, shelving replaced and rotated to change the flow of the shop and new chillers, freezers, lighting, and flooring installed.

Retaining the greengrocer tradition of Bradley’s which remains at the very heart of the business, a superb fruit and vegetable selection welcomes shoppers as they enter the store before walking onto the 16 metres of chilled range.

The frozen range incorporates 5 metres of upright freezers complemented by two Cook chest freezers.

And at the rear of the store the ceiling has been raised to create a shop within a shop where all beers, ales and wines are located alongside snacking.

“We wanted to make a feature of the BWS and so we chose racking for the ambient wines with lighting behind that creates a great effect and installed LED lighting overhead. We’re really pleased with the look and feel, and shoppers come in and head directly to this area,” Jack said.

Bradleys coffee Bradley’s Nisa Local Store in Rothley, Leicestershire

The food to go offer has been massively improved now including branded coffee and ice cream but the key driver is the bespoke Bradley’s Kitchen range which includes salads and chilled sandwiches, cakes, and bakes as well as a ‘heat to eat’ offer. Made in store at Quorn and transported over to Rothley each day, the selection sells out every day and is an exciting point of difference for Bradley's.

“Bradley’s Kitchen was introduced at Quorn when we refitted, and it has grown and grown. Before the refit we used to have an old-style deli sandwich offer at both stores which did about £500 per week but Bradley’s Kitchen sales are phenomenal – we sell five times that amount in one week at Rothley and more at Quorn,” Jack said.

“It has really taken off and we’re very pleased with it.”

More for you

AG Barr welcomes Dino Labbate as new Chief Commercial Officer

AG Barr welcomes Dino Labbate as new Chief Commercial Officer

Dino Labbate has been announced as the new Chief Commercial Officer at A.G. BARR plc, the branded multi-beverage business with a portfolio of market-leading UK brands, including IRN-BRU, Rubicon, FUNKIN and Boost.

Dino takes up the role from today, 20 January 2025, having spent seven years at Britvic plc, most recently as GB Commercial Director for Hospitality. With previous experience at Kraft Heinz, Burton’s Biscuits and Northern Foods, Dino brings a wealth of FMCG insight and experience across all channels of the food and drink industry.

Keep ReadingShow less
Surge recorded in whole food sales

iStock image

Surge recorded in whole food sales

Brits are increasingly leaning towards cooking from scratch and are ditching ultra processed food, thus embracing a much simpler approach to their diet, a recent report has stated.
According to a recent report from John Lewis Partnership released on Friday (17), supermarket Waitrose has reported that it’s back to basics for many in 2025 due to a growing awareness around ultra processed foods, with many turning away from low-fat, highly processed products in favour of less-processed, whole food ingredients.
Whole milk and full-fat Greek yogurt sales are up 11 per cent and 21 per cent compared to skimmed milk and Greek style yoghurt a year ago.
Block butter sales are up by +20 per cent as compared to dairy spreads while brown rice is seeing +7 per cent more sales as compared to white rice.
The report adds that sourdough bread sales are up by +20 per cent as compared to white bread while full fat Greek yoghurt recorded +21 per cent more sales than Greek style yoghurt.
Over the past 30 days, searches on Waitrose website whole food searches soared with ‘full fat milk’ and ‘full fat yoghurt’ skyrocketing 417 per cent and 233 per cent.
The shfit reflects the wider growing awareness of effects of ultra-processed foods, thanks in no small part to Dr Chris van Tulleken’s bestselling book Ultra-Processed People and its continued momentum in 2024 and into 2025.
His eye-opening, rigorously researched account of ultra-processed foods and their effect on our health turned many people towards cooking from scratch, with unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients.

Maddy Wilson, Director of Waitrose Own Brand comments, “There’s been a lot of bad press around so-called ‘healthy’ products which aren’t nutritious and don’t taste great, however the growing awareness of ultra processed food in our diets has seen many customers seeking the basics and embracing a much simpler approach to their diet.”

Waitrose Food & Drink report released last year highlighted that 54 per cent of those surveyed proactively avoid processed foods.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hinckley c-store ordered to close down

Image from Leicestershire County Council

Hinckley c-store ordered to close down

A convenience store in Hinckley, which sold illegal cigarettes to undercover Trading Standards officers on eight occasions and had more than 1,800 packets of illegal tobacco seized during four enforcement visits, has been closed down for three months.

As informed by Leicestershire County Council, Easy Shop in Regent Street has been ordered to remain closed until April 15 by Leicester Magistrates Court, following a joint operation by Leicestershire County Council’s Trading Standards service and Leicestershire Police. The orders were issues last week.

Keep ReadingShow less
Peterborough shop “closed” to tackle organised crime

Image from Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Peterborough shop “closed” to tackle organised crime

A city centre convenience store in Cambridgeshire has been closed down after police found "illicit" items including Viagra tablets, illegal tobacco and more than £14,000 in cash from the premises.

About 683,400 cigarettes, 37.45kg of hand rolling tobacco, and 35 cigars were seized by the police from International Food Centre in Lincoln Road in Peterborough late last year. The closure order was served on the shop and flat above on Dec 31following an application to Huntingdon Magistrates' Court.

Keep ReadingShow less
Champagne being poured into champagne glasses
Photo: iStock

Champagne shipments hit by gloomy consumer mood in 2024, producers say

French champagne shipments fell by nearly 10 per cent last year as economic and political uncertainties hit consumers' appetite for the sparkling wine in key markets such as France and the US, the producers association said.

Producers had called in July for a cut in the number of grapes harvested this year after sales fell more than 15 per cent in the first half of 2024. Full year shipments were down 9.2 per cent from 2023 at 271.4 million bottles, the Comite Champagne (Champagne Committee) said.

Keep ReadingShow less