Nathalie Fullerton has turned around a struggling convenience store in Glasgow’s Partick area and built it into the flagship Go Local store in Scotland.
Located on Dumbarton Road in the West End, the store serves a broad mix of students, families, professionals, elderly residents and vulnerable customers. When Fullerton took over, weekly sales were around £6,000. Following a complete transformation and a move to Go Local, the figure has grown to almost £30,000 a week.
The transformation has been about considerably more than changing the fascia.
Fullerton has expanded the store from around 2,000 to more than 3,500 product lines, improved the layout and customer journey, introduced local products and invested in AI-powered technology designed to enhance customer safety and operational efficiency. She is also planning to develop a food-to-go proposition.
Joining Go Local gave her the flexibility to shape the business around her own vision while benefiting from the buying power, range and support of a symbol group.
Fullerton sees convenience retail as being about building relationships, solving problems and becoming part of the community rather than simply selling products.
That philosophy also extends beyond her own store. Fullerton is National Deputy Vice President of the Federation of Independent Retailers and a founder of Retail Family, a retailer-led initiative created to give people in the industry a safe and supportive space to discuss mental health and wellbeing.
For her, success therefore cannot be measured only in weekly sales. It is also about the impact a retailer has on customers, colleagues and the wider retail community.
The businesswoman journey has taught Fullerton that convenience retail cannot stand still. She describes success as constantly evolving, challenging herself and looking for ways to improve.
Her approach is reflected in the store itself: a business that has moved from struggling at £6,000 a week to almost £30,000, while expanding its range and developing a stronger community role.