A Blackpool entrepreneur has opened a new Go Local Extra fascia store on the site of a former Italian restaurant in the town.
Murat Ozpercin acquired the premises for the new Blackpool store venture earlier this year.
The 2240 sq ft store on Lytham Road has been extensively refurbished, transforming it from the 'Re Italiani' restaurant into a Go Local Extra store featuring a food-to-go offering including coffee and slushes, groceries and an extensive 'beer cave', a walk-in chiller room with a wide variety of lagers, beer, wine and spirits.
The store, which opened in June and employs seven staff, achieved sales of over £15k in its first week of trading, and Murat is working closely with the Parfetts team to ensure this positive start continues over the coming weeks and months. The store receives regular free deliveries of new stock from Parfetts wholesale depot in Aintree.
Murat worked alongside the Parfetts team on the designs for his new store, delivering a bright and welcoming interior and spacious layout for customers to browse. Customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
He chose to partner with Parfetts and Go Local as he valued his independence combined with the flexibility and freedom to choose the best product range for his customers, with the full backing of a strong support network. Murat was also very keen to provide a maximum value offering, so he has embraced the extensive Go Local Own Label range to offer customers great quality products at affordable prices that also deliver impressive margins for his business.
Murat says: "This was an excellent opportunity to take existing premises that were no longer being used and transform it into a service that the community was crying out for. Partnering with Parfetts, Go Local Extra was easy, as the quality, range and value offering is so impressive.
"Becoming a Go Local Extra store is a positive move for my business and customers. Working with Parfetts' team brings something entirely new to the convenience offering as it guarantees the customer a great shopping experience and, most importantly, value for money. They understand the fundamentals of independent retailing and what works well. This is a level of insight that other groups don't seem to possess.
"There's a strong relationship in place with the Parfetts team, and nothing is too much trouble. Parfetts have provided hands-on support throughout the store development and launch phase, helping to get the store ready with everything from layout and design to advising on strong promotions. Working with Parfetts has been a great move for me and the future of my retailing business. I can't wait to see what the future brings."
Parfetts is an employee-owned business, and its employees play a significant role in the company's and its retailers' success.
As more independent retailers choose Parfetts, the business has enjoyed record growth thanks largely to its focus on great value and service from a team dedicated to the success of the retailers it supports.
John O’Neill, retail operations controller, at Parfetts, said: "We are working towards our target of establishing 2,000 stores as part of our Go Local symbol group and are continuing to attract some of the best independent retailers across the UK.
"We're working closely with Murat, who, as a new retailer to Parfetts, has very quickly established a strong relationship with the community around his store. He is making great use of the space available to him to deliver a positive shopping experience for all customers combined with choice and real value for money. As a fully committed retailer who has got off to a flying start with his latest store, we look forward to supporting Murat and helping him further grow his retail businesses."
