Glasgow’s multi-award-winning retailer Girish Jeeva is making one of the boldest fascia moves, switching his high-performing Barmulloch store from Booker’s Premier to a new dual-branded Costcutter Bargain Booze format backed by a £100,000 refit and a clear £100k weekly sales ambition.
Jeeva, who acquired the store in 2021, has operated under Booker’s Premier fascia and built a strong trading performance, consistently delivering standout sales. The store made headlines last year after becoming the first independent retailer locally to introduce a 24-hour delivery service, further strengthening its competitive edge.
Speaking exclusively with Asian Trader, Jeeva admitted that the move feels like a "new chapter for him, his store and his customers" and shared in detail how the move unfolded.
"We have done everything with Premier. We've grown the brand to where it's at right now and I felt I have hit the ceiling. I have nothing against Booker; in fact, they have made the store what it is today. They have helped, supported and guided us throughout.
"However, I was itching to increase my chilled sales for sometime now and was seeking a breakthrough."
The conversation with Bestway started when he acquired a 1000 sqft space next door to open a warehouse and decided to reopen a Bestway account for bulk buying, he revealed.
"As the meeting unfolded, Bestway representatives began sharing their vision for the relaunched Costcutter brand. I made an offhand remark, jokingly that if Costcutter still had the deal with Co-op, I would have considered the symbol group,” he recalled.
"When they contacted me again confirming the renegotiated Costcutter Co-op contract, I actually felt to think of considering the move seriously."
The deal with Costcutter is signed and the refit is set to begin on March 2, with a budget of £100,000, equipment upgrades and a layout change on the fresh side. The new fascia goes up mid-to-late March, with a grand launch planned for April during the school holiday period.
The dual-branded Bargain Booze element, however, will arrive in a second stage, timed, Girish reveals exclusively, around the World Cup.
“There are a couple of things that need to be sorted in Bargain Booze before we can launch as a dual brand,” he explained. “But getting access to that dual brand is going to be another real benefit.
"In Scotland you can’t sell alcohol cheap because of minimum unit pricing. But what we are trying to achieve is that having access to Bargain Booze pricing means we’ll be paying less, selling at MUP price, and getting a bit more margin on that.
"It’s also going to give us a stronger offering on wines for customers looking for something a bit higher end.”
The store will also have a new fresh ice cream offer and an expanded area to accommodate more fresh cake. Ambient Co-op own-brand products will round out a range designed to give the store what he describes as a “supermarket feel.”
“With a combination of all this, we definitely believe we can achieve the 100k target,” he says. “My targeted time frame is end of this year, but with all the targets we’ve set over four years, it’s always taken us half the time."
The move to round-the-clock in-store trading is the other major revelation. Girish was already running a 24-hour home delivery operation — a UK first when he launched it.
Before signing anything, Jeeva visited twelve Scotmid, Co-op and Nisa stores across Scotland, scrutinising ranges, layouts and quality.
He also visited Pete Chema’s Costcutter store to see the format in action at a store of similar size to his own. “I could really vision his store like mine,” he says.
Nisa — which also offers Co-op own-brand access — was considered and ruled out for two reasons.
“There’s a Nisa very close by to us,” Girish explains, “and even if I did get it, I don’t think it would be right to create that sort of competition with both of us offering the same thing.
"But also, honestly, I think Bestway is more of a family brand rather than corporate. We’ve enjoyed that kind of relationship with Booker, which is why we thought Bestway would probably be the right choice.
"About 15-20 years ago in Scotland, there used to be a lot of Costcutter stores which over the years, kind of just faded away. Bestway entrusts in us to be a right partner for them to bring that brand back to life in this region. I think it's going to be a really strong partnership," Jeeva said.