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The talk of the town

A high-end fresh focus has set tongues wagging in the Surrey community of Hinchley Wood.

We’ve all heard of the X Factor, but when it came to revamping the Kavanagh Group’s 3,000 sq ft Budgens store in the bustling Surrey community of Hinchley Wood, there was only one factor that managing director Noel Kavanagh was concerned with: The T factor for ‘talkability.’

“When it comes to opening a new store or revamping an existing one, ‘talkability’ is everything,” Noel says. “While a good refi t will undoubtedly result in existing shoppers visiting more often and spending more on each visit; a great talkability factor will also see you attract entirely new shoppers, and we’ve certainly achieved that at Hinchley Wood,” he says.

And that it has. In fact, following a “transformational” refi t carried out in the summer of 2021, Hinchley Wood’s Budgens store is now the talk of the town.

“We bought the store back in 2015 and we carried out a refresh in 2016 but this was the refi t that the store had been waiting for,” Noel explains.

“After almost six years of brisk trading, the store was starting to look and feel a little tired and in need of a fresh new look and focus.

“We had a very clear vision for how we wanted the store to look that centred around brightness, premiumisation and a much greater emphasis on fresh foods in a bid to improve sales and margins.

“We wanted to create a high-end market-style feel that would elevate the fresh food aisle and make the whole zone far more appealing to shop.”

The refi t took approximately two weeks, including a four-day closure in which new fl oors, ceilings LED lighting and a host of new fresh and chilled display cabinets were added. (The upgrades to LED lighting and more energy effi cient chillers also helped to slash the store’s carbon footprint by 25%.)

“Prior to the refi t we had a low-level refrigeration unit down the main aisle but we took that out and opened the aisle up to increase that all important sense of space and light.”

Noel’s vision of a premium market-style feel was also achieved with new off-shelf displays to whip up greater instore theatre, as-well-as specialised shelving in the produce area designed to help the store to display more loose fruit and vegetables.

“The off-shelf displays have allowed us to introduce greater in-store theatre with quirky lines such as French onions aswell-as interesting local ones such as tomatoes for example, which we displayed in beautiful baskets on the shop fl oor in the summer months.

“When it comes to opening a new store or revamping an existing one, ‘talkability’ is everything.”

Noel Kavanagh, Managing Director, The Kavanagh Group

“The specialised shelving for loose products meanwhile has also helped us to achieve an appealing market-style look and get away from plastic packaging which is something that shoppers are keen to do and certainly something that we as a business are focused on too,” Noel adds.

The move has not only resulted in growing the store’s fresh sales participation by 6% but has also increased produce sales by between 15% and 20%.

The store’s chilled range was also given a boost with the addition of two new spider fridges which house a delectable selection of Sussex cheeses and premium deli meats in the main aisle.

“Shoppers can’t get enough of the Sussex cheeses, they’ve added a real point of difference and together with the deli meats and local produce have really helped to elevate the

offer and our talkability factor,” Noel adds.

“Average basket spend is growing and total sales are currently up 15% on pre-launch which we are very happy about.”

Noel Kavanagh, Managing Director, The Kavanagh Group

Also helping to dial up chatter is the store’s impressive new refi ll station on the main aisle.

Offering shoppers a wide range of lose dry goods from nuts to seeds, cereals and pastas the ‘Unwrapped’ station is proving “a great hit” across the store’s shopper base and helping the store to wage further war on plastic.

“Shoppers are delighted that we have given them the option to refi ll and move away from plastic and the station has created a great talking point.

“We’re really happy with sales which are steadily growing week on week as shoppers start to embedded it in their routines.

“It appeals to all shoppers across the board, from the elderly who use it to buy what they need to young shoppers and teens who also enjoy engaging with it.”

Teen shoppers are also well served by the store’s new drinks to go offer. Thoughtfully sited in the spacious entrance area, the store now offers Tango Ice Blast slush and F’real milkshakes in addition to its existing Costa Coffee machine. STORE FACTS

The store’s location just a mile from one of the area’s largest secondary schools, and on a key bus route, makes it a magnet for snack-starved teens at the end of the school day, while during the day it’s now a mecca for busy parents and workers dashing in for a top up shop and takeaway coffee between drop offs and zoom calls.

Store size: Budgens Hinchley Wood, Surrey Store size: 3,000 sq ft Bestperformingcategories: Fresh and chilled, food to go Services: Post Offi ce, ATM, E-top up, National Lottery Staff : 25 OpeningHours: Mon-Sat 6am-10pm Sunday 7am-10pm

“Generally we have a few good mix of different shoppers visiting the store at different times throughout the day,” Noel adds.

“We’ve always had a lot of elderly shoppers popping in mid-morning for example as part of their daily routine and to visit the Post Office but since the refit we’ve seen a big increase in the number of young parents and professionals popping in for top up shops throughout the day – driven by our investment in fresh and chilled.

“That’s where the talkability factor has really come into play. Our regular shoppers are shopping more with us since the refit and they have championed the new-look offer for us, telling their friends and family, with the result that lots of new shoppers are now visiting too.

“Average basket spend is growing and total sales are currently up 15% on pre-launch which we are very happy about. It’s all indicating that our vision for greater emphasis on fresh and a more premium upmarket feel is being well received by shoppers. It gives us a lot of confidence going forward.”

And that confidence will certainly serve the Kavanagh Group well as it seeks to grow its small store portfolio over the coming years.

“The Kavanagh Group has historically operated a number of large format stores but around five years ago we decided to pivot away from the larger store format in England.

“In our opinion, the smaller format convenience model is the place to be and our new-look 3,000 sq ft Hinchley Wood store is the model that we will be focusing on for expansion.”