Co-op own brand drives big increase of sales for Nisa retailer

A Nisa retailer has seen dramatic increases in sales in his store since switching to Nisa. 

Graham Kennedy of Inner Space Stations on Hull Road in York has seen a notable increase in sales since joining Nisa.  

There has been a steady increase in sales over the last eighteen months and last week saw a new high. The sales increase is now 60% higher since joining Nisa. Graham has also noticed considerable increases in basket size and footfall.  

Graham said: “The Nisa store development team helped us with the shop when we first switched to Nisa. It was the Co-op product brand that made joining Nisa most appealing for us.”  

Co-op own brand is key to Nisa’s offer for independent retailers, with over 2,400 products available for retailers to stock. Nisa also offers the Co-op Core Essentials range for its retailers, consisting of the ‘must stock’ lines retailers should stock to offer the everyday value consumers are looking for.  

Located on the edge of the city and near to a university, the store sees high transient and local customers with almost 10,000 customers visiting each week. 

The 1,900 sq.ft. store has a unique theme across the interior and exterior, including Daleks on the shop roof and a Tardis at the entrance. It offers a full convenience range and is open for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The interior is also uniquely themed with the roof resembling the shape of rocket blasters. 

“I think the increases came from our access to the Co-op brand and increasing our fresh offer,” added Graham. 

“Particularly, our managers on site have really worked on the product range. We decreased the level of wine and increased the level of groceries and fresh.” 

Graham expects sales to continue growing, with predictions that the store is on target to reach £50,000 of sales a week.  

“We keep the store open during the night and have found that most of the sales recorded in the evening are from university students. We took the decision to double man at night which is a high cost but makes our staff feel more secure.  

“It also means that the day staff find the store well stocked and clean when they start their shift.  The students tend to use top-up shops and purchase from our bakery offering.”  

Graham has a lot of plans for the future of the store with considerations to further expand into the rapid grocery delivery space. 

Victoria Lockie, Nisa’s Head of Retail, said: “Our team play an important role in supporting retailers develop their stores, helping retailers to drive footfall and increase sales. We have a dedicated team who support existing and new customers and we are constantly evolving how we support new and existing retailers.  

“The availability of Co-op own brand has meant that Nisa retailers can offer high quality own brand items at competitive pricing. Through the hard work of the retailer and the support of the Nisa team, it is wonderful to see such high increases being reported.”