After 28 years in retail and experience across several fascias and symbol groups, Mike Sohal has developed a clear view of what independent retail needs to thrive: the freedom to understand a local community, backed by the scale, support and expertise of a strong symbol partner.
That approach is embodied at Dallam Stores, his 2,000 sq ft convenience store in Warrington, which has been part of Nisa for 16 years. Serving a diverse customer base, the store covers the everyday convenience mission across grocery, chilled, frozen, off-licence and household products, while putting community engagement firmly at the centre of its proposition. Pasted markdown
But increasingly, food-to-go is becoming one of the store's biggest points of difference.
The recent addition of an in-store bakery has been supported by an in-store kitchen and oven, strengthening the store's hot food offer. Much of the hot food is supplied pre-cooked by a local supplier, allowing Dallam Stores to offer a broad range while keeping the operation manageable.
And pies in particular is proving a runaway success.
The store stocks six different pie lines and sells around 500 a week, generating approximately £1,000 in weekly sales from pies alone. It is a useful illustration of how Sohal is using food-to-go not simply as an additional service, but as a meaningful sales driver and a reason for shoppers to visit the store more frequently.
The food-to-go investment forms part of a much wider transformation. Sohal has worked across Premier, Costcutter and the early years of Go Local, as well as trading independently, giving him a broad understanding of the different models available to independent retailers.
For the past 16 years, Nisa has been his chosen partner, providing what he sees as the right balance between independence and group-scale support. Pasted markdown
That relationship reached a significant milestone in March 2026, when Dallam Stores became the first store in the UK to launch Nisa's new proposition. The transformation introduced the in-store bakery, digital screens, an expanded locally sourced range and a refreshed layout designed to modernise the shopping experience.
It built on an earlier investment in 2018, when Sohal created a brand-new purpose-built store. The latest transformation has taken that philosophy further, with technology, ranging and store design all playing a bigger role in the operation.
Investment in EPOS and digital marketing has also strengthened the business's ability to understand shopper behaviour, improve operational efficiency and engage with customers both in-store and online.
The changes are delivering commercially. Since moving to the new Nisa proposition, sales have risen by 12%, with the business attributing the uplift to the in-store bakery, additional frozen space, increased Co-op own-brand, and improvements to layout and lighting. Pasted markdown
Yet community remains central to the proposition.
Through Nisa's Making A Difference Locally programme, alongside additional local initiatives, Dallam Stores has donated more than £60,000 to causes including homelessness projects, mental health services, youth programmes and families facing financial hardship. Pasted markdown
The store therefore brings together three strands of modern independent retail: a sharper commercial proposition, the flexibility to respond to local demand and a genuine role within the community.
For Sohal, the symbol model provides the platform. But it is his willingness to invest, experiment and identify what local shoppers actually want – whether that means a new retail concept, locally sourced products or 500 pies a week – that is shaping Dallam Stores' next chapter.