SF-June-20

6 @specialityfood “Very little in today's retailing world is clear” I n my last article we at Partridges had arrived at the end of March expressing the hope that things would soon one day get back to normal following the chaos of the preceding few weeks. What happened next? Since the beginning of April the dust has been slowly settling and sales have been returning to normal, albeit with fewer customers. Panic buying, besides from that of my wife, is basically now over. We are well stocked with eggs and pasta and essentials and several members of staff have emerged Robinson Crusoe-like from exile, with a few Man Fridays in tow asking for employment opportunities. However, things are definitely not as they were before the lockdown. Our hopes for “normality soon” have altered to “normality eventually.” Our customer count has reduced significantly due to social distancing measures and after having reduced considerably the number of customers that are allowed in the shop at any one time. Seeing a long queue patiently waiting to be allowed through the front door is heartbreakingly counterintuitive for mature speciality food shopkeepers! Customer service is now frequently carried out through a perspex screen or muffled through a mask and there is a yawning gap in the shop where our café used to be. There are also a few yawning café staff who want to get back as soon as possible to serving coffees to customers who are keen to acquire them. Cotswold Fayre invests in new foodhall and kitchen The fine food distributor has announced that it is to become a partner in the new venture, which is based at Glenavon Farm, Saltford, near Bath. The project will see the current derelict farm buildings and cow sheds overhauled into a purpose-built retail and café space. As a B Corp, a certification that recognises companies that use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems, Cotswold Fayre has exciting plans for the new venture. Expected to open in Spring 2021, it will give the company the opportunity to experiment with new fixtures and displays to reduce plastic packaging, as well as the chance to offer customer taste test sessions in an effort to gather feedback on potential new products. Speaking about the new venture, Paul Hargreaves, chief executive at Cotswold Fayre, said: “The landowner and Bath District Farmers had been planning to open a retail and kitchen outlet for some time. “I was delighted when approached to become part of the team to turn the idea into a reality, as it wholeheartedly complements our core business.” Business partner and managing director for the foodhall and kitchen, Paul Castle, added: “I am thrilled to see work start on the exciting new venture. We plan to stock plenty of products supplied by local farmers and producers, and create in the region of 40 local jobs, which is very exciting.” Paul Hargreaves continued, ”We started planning the new foodhall and kitchen a long time ago so no pandemics were on the horizon then, but we are glad we are launching in 2021 and not within the past eight weeks. Over 21 years I have seen some brilliant examples of great retailing and can’t wait to take the best of these and put them into practice. In addition it will be great to have a retail outlet where we can test potential new products and see if they sell in an independent retail environment before we roll them out to our retail customers. “We aim for the new venture to be as environmentally and socially responsible as possible in order to fit in with our B Corp ethos. Advances in packaging are moving quickly, so we would hope to be able to be plastic-free at launch. We will also aim to employ a percentage of disadvantaged people from the local community, and enable the farm shop to be an active contributor in benefitting the local community. “An an example of some of our plans, there will be a generous number of free electric car charging points for customers to use while they are on site, and incentives will also be given to those arriving by bicycle or public transport. Any food waste will be collected by our partners at City Harvest who deliver this to the homeless and other projects, which not only eliminates waste but reduces the carbon footprint of this food going to land-fill. The café and food hall will be carbon neutral using sustainable energy and any carbon generated will be offset, and of course Cotswold Fayre will consolidate supply of much of the chilled and ambient produce thereby reducing carbon in supply chain.” ONLY 9% OF CONSUMERS WANT THINGS TO RETURN TO ‘NORMAL’ ONCE THE OUTBREAK IS OVER 33% OF SHOPPERS ARE SPENDING MORE TIME COOKING OR BAKING 58% OF CONSUMERS ARE SNACKING MORE THAN THEY WERE PRE-LOCKDOWN 38% OF THOSE WORKING FROM HOME ARE COOKING MORE NEW RECIPES JOHN SHEPHERD PARTRIDGES Very little in today’s retailing world is clear, but for the foreseeable future cafés will not be returning to normal service with tables and chairs squeezed in as tightly as possible. Under these circumstances some sort of decisive action is required. We are not necessarily experts in the field of decisive action but at least acknowledge there is a golden opportunity to rethink various aspects of the shop starting with a blank piece of paper. If customers are not able to come to the shop we will have to go to the customers more than ever before, and currently are working on a few initiatives to help make this happen. For example, we are trialling a takeaway hot food section in the old café space. It will be served by a chef to start off with – subject to a positive response from customers. We are relocating a take away coffee and cake counter to the front of the shop utilising a previously unopened front door. Customers can queue externally and use click and collect as well if required. We have obtained a self service coffee machine which has been surprisingly successful and easy to use. We are embracing several delivery platforms, click and collect and investing in a beautiful ice cream cart for external selling purposes – local authorities permitting of course. So in different ways the shop is moving inside out. But if none of the above initiatives work in the long term? So what? It is only a trial in trying times. The goal will be to introduce these new approaches without diminishing the traditional strengths and core business of the speciality food shop such as the deli counter, the wine department, high customer service standards and retaining the loyalty of our most supportive customer base. In terms of customers and with regard to the old question of ‘your place or mine’ the answer is shifting over to ‘your place’. SOURCES: YOUGOV FOR FOOD, FARMING AND AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION; MAGNETIC MEDIA REPORT FOR HEARST REPORT LOCKDOWN KITCHEN: COOKING AND EATING DURING CORONAVIRUS