Peterborough retailer reinvents store with full refit

A new convenience store has been unveiled in Cambridgeshire offering shoppers an extensive range of both traditional and contemporary products including an impressive food to go offer.

Launched last week following a full refurbishment, Nisa Local Southfields Drive in Stanground, Peterborough is the latest venture from award-winning independent retailer Siva Thievanayagam.

The forward-thinking businessman has owned the store since 2020 and previously operated it under a Simply Fresh fascia.

Keen to modernise and invest in the store, Siva was spurred on by his previous store launch that transformed a derelict pub in nearby Stamford into a Nisa Local in 2020.

“The store had become old and looked out of date. Our range was still good but it’s much better now and we have introduced so many new products that really appeal to the younger market as well as improving what our traditional shoppers are looking for,” said Siva.

The 3,000 sq ft store is in the heart of a busy residential area with nearby schools as well as some passing traffic.

And while the development has not involved an extension, the new layout teamed with the modern flooring and lighting, banks of new doored chillers and the addition of a serve over deli counter and hot unit, together give the impression of a much larger shop.

The food to go offer is a key focus of the store with a range designed to cover all tastes and occasions comprising the traditional pre-packed sandwiches and salads in a dedicated Meal Deal chiller to freshly filled baguettes and cream cakes and everything in between.

Keen to bring new ideas into the store, the innovative retailer has also teamed up with a local pizzeria to offer restaurant quality pizzas from the deli including a unique pizza style filled roll designed to offer a different lunchtime meal.

“I wanted to make sure we are catering for all our shoppers and so there is the grab and go option for those people in a hurry, the breakfast rolls that are made to order in store and then the pizzas,” added Siva.

Meanwhile the drinks to go choice is also expansive including freshly dispensed sodas, Tango Ice Blast, Fanta Frozen, Hershey’s and Reece’s Freeze drinks, Monster Energy Slush as well as a Costa Express machine.

“My aim was to reinvent the store and I think we have managed to do that, and we are now appealing to many more shoppers.”

Nisa Store Development Manager Jim Gaughan who worked on the refit, said: “It was a huge project, but we put a lot of time into getting the plans right. Now it is finished and trading it looks great and is unrecognisable to the store it was just a few weeks ago.”