The Patel family of Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, who runs a convenience store and forecourt site in the seaside town, has rejoined SPAR after 15 years.
Owned and operated by Nash and Sharlie Patel with their son Veer, SPAR Clacton-on-Sea is now serviced by SPAR’s regional wholesaler Blakemore Trade Partners, as Veer Patel moved to the symbol group to benefit from “improved availability, ranging advice and an overall better symbol group business partnership”.
“We are excited to move our site to SPAR. We were looking for a partner to take our business to the next level and we’ve seen how SPAR and Blakemore Trade Partners operate thriving wholesaler-retailer partnerships in which both parties succeed,” Veer, who took over the day-to-day running of the site from his parents in 2018, said.
The store has been given a complete transformation with a layout and the addition of a new food-to-go section. Other areas within the store have been improved for a better shopping experience, while a large range of SPAR own label products mixed with a more branded impulse and grocery range added.
The chilled section has been newly re-ranged to help customers find items for all meal occasions, while the wine range has tripled in size and the beer cave layout has been changed to allow for more variety.
“The SPAR own brand, County Bridge meat and the large wine ranges will help us to capture all the areas of the market we were not able to tap into in the past,” Veer said.
“We have a wide customer base – from holiday makers to local people living in the community to transient drivers using the forecourt – and as the only SPAR store in the area, we have a great opportunity to catch a growing number of shoppers who will come in to do a top-up shop or a full shop. We are excited to see where our partnership with SPAR takes us.”
Stuart Ware, head of new business at Blakemore Trade Partners, added: “It has been great to welcome Veer and his family to SPAR. The store thrives on great customer service with excellent ties to the community.
“We have been delighted to provide the team with range and layout alternatives in order to make the most of the local and visiting footfall to accommodate the variety of customers using the store throughout the year.
“Our detailed understanding of customers and missions and the translation into macro and micro space has informed the store plan as we look to drive basket spend and footfall. This is driven by detailed data analytics, plus a knowledge of our company owned store estate performance.
“The Patel family have exciting plans over the next three years including the introduction of a new EPOS system and ESELs in the next 18 months. By working in partnership, we look forward to supporting the team as they grow their business over the coming years.”
Blakemore Trade Partners supports the independent SPAR estate of A.F. Blakemore & Son Ltd.
